Fairies After Dark
by shelbyshoe
Summary: Natsu, a Horde vampire, desires nothing more than to find his father and leave his brother behind. Lucy, an immortal Valkyrie, needs to get this Horde bounty off her head. Doesn't help the assassin after her is a gorgeous vampire with cherry pink hair. Cover art by Blanania.
1. Chapter 1

NALU set in the Immortals After Dark universe by Kresley Cole. I highly recommend the book series. Check out the wiki for more information. Not required to understand the story, but recommended as the universe is fantastic.

_Let's see, if I move my dinner to next Wednesday, and push sewing day for my man skin quilt to Thursday, then I'm all booked. Sorry to disappoint you._

-Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

_You know, I love what you've done to the place. I miss the viscera hanging from the ceiling though._

-Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

* * *

The woman in Natsu's arms ground her sex against him, her heart slammed to the beat of the music. He fed in the shadows of the club and didn't look forward to the effect of the alcohol she consumed. No need for him to seduce this woman. She took one look at his perfect form, frozen with immortality at the age of twenty-two, and pursued him mercilessly. She pushed back her mane of dark black hair and slid a hand to the hem of her small tight dress, lifting it for him. He felt no pleasure in her arousal. With his immortality came the cease of his heartbeat and the loss of lust. To this day, he cursed himself for saving himself for his bride, an unknown woman who would one day blood him and bring his heart slamming to life in his frigid chest. He leaned into the woman and ran his lips against her jaw sliding down to her neck. When he tasted her skin, as tempting as Hades' pomegranate, she moaned against his lips. Natsu opened his mouth, his fangs sharpened like tiny blades. He teased a nick in her flesh— blood beading to the surface. From the small contact, she went boneless in his arms. Her head lulled to the side to allow him better access, and her eyes slid shut. As he sank his fangs into her, she writhed against him. He would be spinning after this. When he had his fill, he licked away the last drops of blood and lay her on one of the V.I.P. couches in the corner. Her chest rose and fell in slumber. He would not drink her to the quick, never could, as doing so caused maddening bloodlust.

Natsu stumbled through the crowd. His head was light from the alcohol and the rush of taking from the flesh of a human. Unlike the Forebearer vampires, who rejected the act, he found the experience wonderful and closest to sex he could have in his current state. The music was too loud for his sensitive ears as he ambled toward an exit. The surrounding mortals, oblivious to what he was, couldn't sense the other immortals that found themselves lost in the throes of passion and music alongside them. A few other vampires took women into dark corners. He nodded toward a rage demon he knew on his way out. To his benefit, in his thousands of years of life, he collected many allies in the Lore and just as many enemies. Loreans, immortals, lived among mortals and remained hidden in fear of the Gods' wrath if exposed. The bouncer eyed him on his way out of the club. Natsu, accustomed to this look from the man, flashed him his thousand-watt smile. A few humans in line followed him with their eyes. They raked their gazes across his body. Their breath lifted into the air with the cold so enamored they did not notice air never left his lips. He veered toward an alley to trace away from the bustle of the city. His body blinked out of existence and he found himself in the mountains of Fiore, his home.

His room was just how he left it. A mountain of mess spread out across the room. Clothes littered the floor, tomes of dragons from Lore and collections of maps stacked beneath the castle window, and small trinkets of gems and stones littered along a shelf. His cluttered desk pressed against the stone wall. Maps and journals spread across the surface and more collected trinkets. Anything he could get his hands on to find his father he kept in his room. Last known locations sprawled across the pinboard behind his desk. The paper clippings never showed his name, but always held his signature, Igneel the King of Fire. His space was a haven away from prying eyes. The curtains closed, but he could see the overcast sky hiding the moon. He slid them open to reveal the town below. Fiore, an immortal hub and trading port, bustled beneath his window's gaze.

"I knew I sensed you." Natsu whipped his head toward the door. Gajeel leaned against the frame with a look of disgust.

"Knock, won't you?" Natsu said.

"Why? Jerkin in here, Salamander? Hiding your bride in all this shit?" Gajeel enjoyed using Natsu's age-old name and gestured toward the piles of books and treasures he collected over the years.

"I wish. If you wanted to watch, you just had to ask." He gave a smile that forced the man to cringe.

"Gross. I just came to tell you Sting needs you downstairs."

"What does the _heir_ want now?" Gajeel shrugged, his lean muscles tensed. He didn't hate Gajeel, but he didn't like him either. An enemy vampire turned ally was unpredictable. However, when it came to their hatred for Sting, they got along. Sting's father, Weisslogia the Cruel, killed in battle had led to Sting's current place as the ruler of their sect of Horde vampires. Rumors say Sting assassinated the ancient Vampire himself for the seat, and one day he could seize the throne of all the Horde.

"Fuck if I know." Gajeel straightened in the doorway. He stood much taller than Natsu and madness simmered just behind his eyes. Natsu knew the man in front of him drank to the quick more times than he originally let on. Sometimes, Natsu saw his gaze wander and his eyes glass over in a red haze with an intruding memory of one of his victims. Some vampires collected them with the taste of blood from the flesh. Only when they killed during the act did the thirst begin, and one's mind lost, their eyes burning bright red. Natsu didn't drink from mortals often, but he needed to let off some steam somehow. When Gajeel's claws appeared more entertaining than their conversation, he walked out to the hall, and Natsu followed. The castle halls, his home since the disappearance of his father, loomed in the still darkness. When a Forebearer found him centuries ago, a vampire named Gray, he had wandered the globe in search of Igneel. It took little time for them to argue about everything. Natsu sought nothing more than to be free and forbearing the flesh was not a part of freedom. Gray had urged him to join for protection, and he agreed safety was important in the Lore. The Horde, the next best thing, suited him fine in that regard.

The throne room changed since Sting's father's death. The usual adornment of corpses and blood, that drained through the floor, replaced by books and classy goblets of blood mead.

"Your heinie-ness," Natsu said with an exaggerated bow. Sting scowled from over the book he read. He heard Gajeel snigger from behind him. Sting closed the book with a snap. His claws lengthened across the book's leather.

"I've asked you both not to use that name." Sting's red eyes bore into Gajeel.

"What do you need?" Natsu asked.

"I have been informed tonight that one of ours was slain in your jurisdiction." _Fuck. _Natsu shrugged.

"I wasn't aware anyone was sent into my area."

"Maybe, if you weren't whoring around, you would have sensed them," Sting said. His voice continuously business and cold. Natsu didn't know how old Sting was, but the heir liked to act ancient. The older a vampire, the stronger they were. Natsu suspected Sting was younger than he let on. Natsu never asked or hung it over his head, but he could have taken the throne. Sting and his father had not been blood-related after all, and Natsu's strength far surpassed Sting's. However, he found himself far too focused on locating Igneel to take on such a tiresome responsibility.

"You know, I love what you've done to the place. I miss the viscera hanging from the ceiling though," Natsu said pointing toward the chandelier that now hung in its place.

"Don't change the subject." Sting gripped the throne until the metal armrests folded like paper beneath his palms. If Natsu possessed a heartbeat, it would have pounded from the waves of power Sting gave off.

"Who kicked the bucket?" Natsu made sure to keep his face unexpressive. Sting visibly cooled, though his eyes still burned with bloodlust.

"The Minstrel."

"That ancient? Who had the power to bring _him_ down?" Rufus Lore, also known as the Minstrel Who Sings to the Red Moon, was one of the oldest Horde vampires blessed with memory manipulation. Taking on an old bloodlust vampire would have been quite the undertaking.

"I don't know, but I need you to find out." Who would slay such an old and powerful male?

"Fine, I assume you want me to kill them. They can't be too strong. Rufus was always a little wooo if you know what I mean." Natsu twirled a finger around his temple for emphasis. the Minstrel's eyes were bright red from the memories accumulated over a long-life and lost lucidity from what he saw. Rumor had it, he couldn't tell the difference between his memories and theirs. His memory manipulation said to get him through the worst of it. Sting sneered at Natsu's gesture. Probably, hit a sore spot with all the bloodlust the man currently felt.

"I'll be going then." Natsu turned to the exit.

"Before you go, Natsu," Sting said, a smug expression on his lips. "Your brother wants to see you." Natsu's body tensed at the reminder of his brother's existence. The current king of the Horde, just as ruthless and crazed as any other bloodlust vampire, had a few centuries over Natsu. Sting knew his name but referred to him as Natsu's brother to piss him off. Zeref, the vampire known as the Black Wizard, killed the previous king of the Horde. Rightfully killing the king or wiping out the lineage obtained you the seat on the Horde throne. Beside him stood Rogue, Sting's best friend. Natsu loathed him too and didn't know how he got along with Sting so well— they were opposites. Natsu left the castle doors to slam behind him. Sounds drifted up from the town below. He could feel the breeze over his skin, but he could not breathe in the crisp air.

"Fuck that guy," Gajeel said behind him leaning against the closed doors.

"What do you want?" Natsu found himself in a touchy mood.

"To see if you need help with this killer. I'm suspicious."

"Why? Everyone hates vampires in the Lore." It was true that vampires were on everyone's hit list, but other Loreans steered away from ancients like the Minstrel.

"There is no current war or reason to pursue someone so powerful. It just smells fishy to me."

"Then go look into it yourself. I have to go." Natsu did not look forward to his talk with his brother.

"Ain't gotta be a dick about it." Gajeel shrugged and traced away. Natsu followed suit and traced to the Horde castle on their vampiric plane. He stood inside a familiar sitting room. Natsu hated everything about the black castle, the expensive furniture, and the old world feel. A soft fire lit the fireplace and two cups of blood mead sat on a small table beside facing chairs. He sensed another presence in the room.

"Why am I not surprised you knew I'd come to this room?" What little time he stayed in his brother's care he spent in this room pondering over Igneel's disappearance.

"Hello, Natsu." Zeref ambled to a chair before the fireplace and took one of the cups in hand. His red eyes glowing in the darkness, black hair tousled, his skin was gaunt, and his eyes rimmed with lost sleep. Zeref always wore older regal clothing that made him look expensive, but they now looked wrinkled and worn. Natsu stood firmly and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?" He didn't want to stay any longer than he had to.

"Come, sit with me, brother." Natsu winced at the familiar tone in his voice.

"Don't pretend you know me." Zeref never desired a relationship before his adoptive father's disappearance. Natsu didn't know he had a brother until he froze in his immortality. Zeref peered over the side of the large chair and gave him a sharp look.

"Humor me." He placed a lot of power into the command. As much as Natsu wanted to fight him on it, he knew he couldn't leave until he did as Zeref said. He peered at the fireplace. Zeref had either been stupid or confident that Natsu wouldn't use the fire against him. Most vampires had gifts, and Natsu was no different. The fire manipulation gave him his age-old name, Salamander. He sank into the chair across from him.

"You look like shit," Natsu said. Zeref gave him a sharp look before the vampire drained his cup.

"Always lovely to speak to you, little brother." This time, Natsu held his tongue over the mention of their relation. Zeref stared into Natsu's eyes in the unnerving way a cat stares down a fish. "I've looked better."

"Something keeping you up at daylight?" Natsu didn't want to come here and fight with him, no matter how weak he was. The power had always rippled off Zeref like no other he knew. He hated to admit it, but he was grateful Zeref appeared to want to fix their relationship as siblings. Fighting him would prove to be a challenge— one that he would one day take on.

"Isn't there always something that keeps a king from sleep?" He grinned at Natsu shifting his empty cup from one hand to another. His eyes pulled away to stare into the flames. "You don't drink." Natsu's cup of blood mead sat untouched between them.

"I don't drink from a cup I didn't pour."

"Smart, but I have no reason to poison you."

"What do you want, Zeref?" The flames flickered across his red eyes, his focus on something that wasn't Natsu. "Zeref?"

"One day you will know the things that keep me awake," Zeref said. Part of Natsu wanted the man before him dead and reveled in his weakened state, but part of him remained interested in the things that plagued him. Zeref's eyes came back into focus, his face stern "But for now, I heard there was a killing in your jurisdiction."

"Always to remind me of my failures."

"That's not my intention. I wanted to warn you about something." It was the first time Natsu could see Zeref's genuine concern for his wellbeing.

"About the killing?"

"Our oracle has lost sight of you. I worry about you, brother. It is the Accession after all." The Accession happened every five hundred years, a checks-and-balances system for immortals, so killing and mating were soon to ensue. This time, Zeref looked up at Natsu with the furrowed brow of a troubled sibling. "Whoever has killed Rufus the Minstrel may be the very death of you."

* * *

"Damn Cana to hell," Lucy said between gritted teeth.

"If you keep wiggling, I'll be making these worse," Levy said. With steady hands, she cleaned the gaping wound on Lucy's arm. Lucy arrived at the witch's coven that evening with blood running down her arm, chest, and a smile on her face. Her mood soon soured with the news of the bounty on her head. No one kills an ancient Horde vampire and escapes without consequence.

"Now, I'll have the whole Horde after me."

"Don't you want to kill them all anyway?" Levy cleaned the last of the blood around the wound. Because of her immortality, the cut already began to close.

"Yes, but not all at once!" Lucy could hear the other witches gathered downstairs. Levy had invited her best friend in, threw the bottle of blue nail polish over her shoulder to Juvia, who caught it without taking her eyes off Friday the 13th playing on the TV in the living room, and grabbed the first aid. Lucy's intrusion, not the first time and not the last.

"Why did Cana want you to kill the Minstrel?" Levy wrapped the last bandage around Lucy's arm and packed up the first aid.

"She won a bunch of money in some bet and said she'd pay me for the kill." Levy rolled her eyes but smirked.

"Who would let kooky Cana, the All-knowing soothsayer, in on a bet?"

"Erza didn't want to leave anyone out." Reliving the moment Cana won, and Erza's face transforming into pure regret, amused Lucy.

"Of course, she didn't. Well, did you at least get the money from Cana?"

"Turns out she wasn't entirely lucid when she told me she'd pay for the kill. She couldn't even remember winning the money. I brought her his fangs and everything." Lucy sighed leaning her head back on one of the coven's many beanbag chairs in Levy's room. The room itself plain with few personal effects. When the witch wasn't going back to her bedroom, finding comfort in the upstairs study, the coven told her to just move her stuff there. Levy stood with the first aid in her arms. Lucy pulled a small plastic bag, with fangs inside, out of her pocket and held them up to her friend. "You can have them. Maybe, decorate this abandoned room with them, Levy the Bookworm."

"Levy the All-powerful you mean!" Lucy was grateful for the Valkyrie's alliance with the witches. She often found herself in the cheerful purple Victorian house. The smell of herbs drifted through the house, up to the stairs that wound through the heart, and to the study at the topmost room. The lively coven was calming to Lucy. She didn't hate living with her sisters in Val Hall, but she appreciated the break from the drama and screaming Valkyrie. "Do you want a warding spell?" Levy asked over her shoulder dipping into the small bathroom across the hall. Lucy groaned and struggled to stand from the beanbag chair. She no longer felt the sting of her wounds, sure they already healed, and would remove the bandages later.

"No, I can't go running behind a warding spell. If my sisters thought I was hiding from the Horde, they would chew me out for the rest of eternity." The Valkyrie were all related as sisters or half-sisters, sharing two of their three parents. If it wasn't for the ancient living Book of Lore, no one would believe they came from three parents. When a maiden warrior cries out for courage, the gods Freya and Woden heed her call and strike her with lightning, saving her. They preserve her courage in the form of a daughter, an immortal Valkyrie. Lucy could not dishonor her mother's courage by hiding behind a magical barrier.

Lucy shoved the fangs into her pocket and leaned against the bathroom door. Levy placed the first aid kit back in its rightful place underneath the sink and rummaged through a container of nail polish. She pulled out a purple color and held it up to the light. "I should let you get back," Lucy said. Levy ambled passed her to the hall and waited for her friend to follow.

"You're not staying? It's a horror movie night!"

"Nah, I'm going to take these bad boys to Erol's and see if anyone has a bounty out for this chump." Lucy patted her pocket where the fangs sat like lead. Levy shrugged and padded down the stairs toward the living area. The sounds of conversation and high-pitched orchestral death music came to a crescendo as they went.

"Don't go upstairs, you dummy!" one witch said followed by a resounding groan from all the women.

"Juvia doesn't think that was clever." The screams of said dummy were no more, and the music was quiet.

"You're always welcome here, Lu," Levy said and turned to the rest of the coven. Lucy waved to everyone and left.

Lucy hadn't been to Erol's in a long time. The bar nestled in the party district, the same place she had killed the Minstrel. Loreans from all over came to loosen up and make business deals. She heard the bar before she saw it. The neon sign flickered, and the door swung open. A pair of male shapeshifters stomped out laughing, their eyes glowing bright green in the night. They eyed her when she came into view. All Loreans were beautiful— came with the immortal territory. These shapeshifters were no exception.

"Be careful, little fey," one said, his voice low and attractive. She would normally chat them up, but tonight she was on a mission. "There's a demoness in there with quite the attitude." She waved over her shoulder at the warning. Most mistook Valkyries for fey because of their pointed ears. Lucy didn't correct them, as her problems were bigger than a couple of shapeshifters mistaking her for a fey. She pushed through the door and found a group of Lykae at a table near the entrance. One of them she knew and waved her over.

"What are you doing here, Lucy?" Laxus asked. For a moment, as he drank in the sight of her, his usual gray eyes shifted to the bright blue of the Lykae clan.

"Looking for a bounty to claim." She nodded a greeting toward the rest of the table to be polite. "Know of a Minstrel?"

"That ancient vamp? Looking to take him on?" Laxus' grin widened. "Need any help with that?"

"No need," she said and removed the plastic bag from her pocket. "I already took him out." One of the Lykae whistled low.

"Damn, Valkyrie, out for revenge?" one of them asked.

"No, why?"

"Only someone out for revenge would look to get the entire Horde after them for one measly bounty." Lucy internally kicked herself for the same reason and would outwardly kick Cana when she saw her again.

"I was promised money, but my client bowed out."

"I don't blame them," Laxus said eyeing the fangs, "Good luck finding anyone who gets involved with a Horde target." Lucy shrugged and slid the fangs back into her pocket.

"This is the Lore, Laxus. I'm sure someone out there is crazy enough to have a bounty out for the leech." Laxus nodded and tipped a beer glass up to his lips.

"Always welcome to spend some time with us Lykae." His eyes flashed an icy blue. The look was quite the compliment, but she never felt that way toward Laxus, and he never pushed for her interest since she wasn't his mate. The muscular Scots rounded the table with their flashing eyes and wolfish grins. If she was a Lykae's mate, she wouldn't be very upset. Didn't hurt that rumors said they had the highest stamina in the Lore with whispers of mind-blowing sex.

"Thank you, Laxus. I'll have to stop by the Lykae compound one of these days." Lucy was thankful again for the Valkyrie's many alliances and waved at the table on her way to the bar.

"Lucy!" a sweet and boisterous voice called from a table close to the bar. A small silver-haired woman waved her over. Beside her sat a large muscular man and a smaller woman with short silver hair. All of them looked to be related. She guessed they were demons, as the man's horns wrapped around the sides of his head like all the other demons she knew. Horns were a show of power and extremely sensitive to the touch.

"Do I know—"

"Erza asked us to find you here. I'm Mira, this is my sister Lisanna, and brother Elfman." Lucy took the chair that Mira slid out for her.

"How do you know Erza?"

"We go way back. She told me not to tell you, but she wanted me to help you with some leech."

"Of course, she did." Erza was one of the eldest and like a mother to everyone, except Cana. Not surprising that she looked after Lucy.

"No need, I already killed him." She tossed the fangs on the table. She tired of them burning a hole in her pocket. Lisanna's face morphed into disgust.

"Did you have to pull his fangs out?" she asked. Lucy allowed herself to grin with pride.

"How else was I supposed to have proof of my kill?" Most of the sisters kept proof of their kills like trophies. Erza's collection remained the largest. Her row of fangs longer than her assortment of armor. Lisanna's eyes widened in surprise, and Mira laughed.

"I like you, Valkyrie. Erza was right, you are a troublemaker. She knew you would be able to kill him. She wanted me to help you with the bounty."

"Why would you do that?"

"I'd like to do business in the future," she said eyeing her brother, who shrank under her gaze. "If our family requires a little muscle, we'd like help from the Valkyrie."

"Sure, what are the terms—" A large demon bumped into a tiny barmaid and sent her to the floor. The demon spared her not a glance and sat at the bar ordering demon brew. Elfman tensed and Lisanna rose from the table to help the barmaid clean the mess. Mira rolled her eyes at her brother and opened her mouth to speak to the demon at the bar.

"Are you going to say you're sorry?" Elfman asked. His voice was loud but shaky and unpracticed. His eyes glinted in malicious inky black.

"What did you say?"

"You just rammed into her. You should apologize." Elfman stood to confront him. Mira's mouth hung open and her eyes widened. Lucy believed this was an uncommon behavior.

"Don't worry about it," the barmaid said to Lisanna, "I'm just an inferi. I'm used to it."

"That's ridiculous. Of course, I'll help you," Lisanna said. The barmaid's light brown hair fell in her face. Other than the rags she wore, she appeared pretty and buxom. Lucy felt bad for her. Inferi were sorceri who had their root power stolen from them and rendered them a slave to the sorcery who took it from them. The owner of this inferi was nowhere in sight. Lucy had only encountered a few sorceri in her life. This woman must be telling the truth. Sorceri wore armor and masks, and this inferi didn't even have any jewelry on. Most of them were masters of poisons and kept them hidden inside their jewelry and armor. The sorceri took these from her to keep her helpless. The idea sickened Lucy. Whoever owned this one, treated them poorly.

Another crash resounded in the bar. Elfman shoved the demon and demanded an apology for the barmaid, who was shrinking by the second trying in vain to cease Lisanna's help. Both demon's horns straightened preparing to fight. Lucy didn't wish to get in the middle of a demon fight and scooted away.

"You will do as he says," Mira said with a death grip on the demon's wrist. He gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed in pain. His silence earned him another squeeze to which he grunted. Mira moved quick enough for Lucy not to have noticed when she left the table. "Now," she ordered. The demon glared up at Elfman and eyed the inferi on the ground.

"I'm— ugh, go fuck yourself demoness." This was the wrong answer. Mira grasped his wrist and threw him on his back. The wooden floor splintered beneath him. Her appearance changed, her hair wild and untamed, her eyes darkened to pitch black, and her outfit skintight and more suited for one of the Death Demon clan. With each kill, they would become stronger, and Mira appeared ready to bathe in the blood of her enemies with acquired strength. The shapeshifters were right, a demoness raged inside. The demon on the floor mumbled something unintelligible into the wooden and passed out. Mira morphed back to the shapely and kind woman Lucy first met. Lisanna, undisturbed by the commotion, took everything from the barmaid and carried it high above her head all on one hand toward the bar. When she gazed up at her brother, she patted him on the shoulder with a grin.

"Congrats, brother," she said and disappeared behind the bar. Elfman's eyes too had turned pitch-black, but Lucy did not sense rage when he stared down at the inferi on the floor.

"Well would you look at that," Mira said tossing her head back to laugh at the sight. "We'll talk later, Lucy. I'll be sending you the bounty money." She grabbed the fangs from the table and slipped them into her dress. She turned all her attention to the barmaid on the floor and helped her up. "What's your name?" she asked the woman.

"Evergreen."

Lucy said goodbye to the siblings and happily made her way out of the bar. She hoped the sorceri who claimed Evergreen's powers had a written will, as the demon siblings were going to rip them limb from limb.

The fangs out of her pocket, Lucy felt free to do whatever she wanted. She strolled toward a night club she heard about a few times from other Loreans looking for a party. Dancing sounded like an effective way to relax, yet something else drew her that she couldn't place.

* * *

Natsu traced to the familiar alleyway and leaned against the cool brick wall. The Minstrel's killer could be anywhere by now, but he just wanted to lose himself in a soft throat. The beat from the club muffled where he stood. As soon as the bouncer saw Natsu, the man glared in his direction.

"Aw come on, Charlie—"

"It's Brad."

"Okay, Ben. Listen, you want to let me in." Natsu grinned up at the mortal. Every word dripped with power as he stared him down. Whatever the man saw in Natsu's face made him move to the side for him to enter. "Thanks, Bryan." He patted the bouncer on the shoulder and sauntered through the club doors. The sounds and sensations bombarded him as soon as he entered, but one presence stood out. He couldn't make out what direction it was coming from, but it was intoxicating. Their heartbeat like a pounding drum in his ears, a calm in the storm of people. Natsu circled toward the bar, scanning the crowd on the dance floor. Immortals packed in everywhere inside the club. The live DJ bobbed his head to the bass.

"We have to talk." The deep voice slid beside him at the bar.

"Not interested, Gray." Natsu didn't need to look beside him to know who spoke. The vampire's presence irritated him as much as his voice. The heartbeat from before grew louder and just as quickly vanished from his earshot.

"There's still time, Natsu. You're not filled with bloodlust yet." Gray stood stiff as a board with discomfort beneath the red hue of the bar light. He wore a white coat with fur around the hood. Gray's eyes trained around him. _Observant ass._

"I'll pass." Gray never showed his face in Natsu's jurisdiction. This night just kept getting worse. "I have some business to attend to right now."

"Surely, you are around bloodlust vampires. You know how they have lost their minds, and you still plan to take from the flesh?"

"Look, I already told you I want nothing to do with the Forebearers. I want my freedom."

"Do you have that now?" Natsu, on edge before, wanted to cause some violence. The building would look wonderful covered in his flames. The fire rose in his throat with the image. Gray wasn't off base. There was no freedom in this world and even the Horde had rules. Associating himself with Zeref enraged him, but he needed protection and his brother proved useful.

"What if I told you I have a lead on your father?" Natsu's eyes snapped to Gray.

"How do you know—"

"Just come with me. Join us and I can help you," Gray said, "Or would you rather take orders from your brother?" Natsu grabbed the man's collar in his heated grip and pushed him against the bar. When Natsu flashed the bartender a glare, the human backed off from the ruckus.

"Looking into me?"

"Of course." Gray's serene expression pissed Natsu off the most. The bastard was cocky, knew he could take him, and had information on his lineage.

"Why do you want me so badly?"

"It's the accession, Natsu. We need everyone we can get." Natsu's grip loosened.

"I'm on no one's side." The presence and loud heartbeat, that intrigued him before, slammed loud in his ears. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of golden hair. He twisted to look for them.

"What is it?" Gray raised a brow.

"This conversation is over," Natsu said, body screaming to leave and find the owner of the sound. Gray eyed him curiously but didn't try to stop him. Natsu pushed club-goers out of the way. The presence brought him to the back of the building, and like a man possessed he followed. An intoxicated woman grabbed him and attempted to pull him toward the dance floor. On a normal night, he would have guided her to a dark corner, but he couldn't get the presence out of his head. The flash of gold hair piqued his curiosity. With his acute hearing, he heard the back-door slam shut behind someone taking the heartbeat with them. He all but shoved the woman off him and elbowed his way toward the door. The rush of outside air whipped his cherry hair into his eyes. He slid a hand through to tame the strands. The door opened to a back alley. A woman made her way toward the street, her long blonde hair brushed from side to side against her ample bottom. Her heart sang in his ears.

"Hey, wait," Natsu said. She stopped and turned her head to eye him— and eye him she did. Her caramel gaze raked his body, and unlike the humans from before, it left him with a shiver down his spine. He stood a little taller under her inspection.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

"Interesting pick-up line," she said raising a brow. The mystery woman smiled forcing him to grin back. She tilted her head a little more. A long braid at the front of her hair fell over her shoulder and revealed a pointed ear. He could only assume she was fey, a ruthless race known as master archers, but she lacked a bow. He spotted a curled-up whip and a strange set of golden keys snug against her shapely hip. She was a mystery that intrigued him.

"Meeting someone?" He imagined her meeting with a man and felt his body tense with the possibility.

"What's it to you?" She turned to fully face him. He cursed softly at her figure. Her hips met a slim waist and ample breasts that nearly spilled out of her top.

"Hoping to be the one you meet," he said. She crossed her arms and tapped her chin with a slender finger tipped with a tiny painted claw.

"Let's see, if I move my dinner to next Wednesday," she said running her finger across an invisible list, "and push sewing day for my man skin quilt to Thursday, then I'm all booked. Sorry to disappoint you." His cheeks ached from how much he smiled at her. Her wit so far, the most attractive thing about her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"You first."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel." He closed the gap between them.

"And what are you Dragneel?" She eyed him again at closer proximity. Natsu straightened with her appraisal, for whatever reason he wished to impress her.

"Ah-ah, I answered your question. Now, answer mine."

"Lucy Heartfilia." Her name was just as beautiful as she was. From so close, her heart sped up in his ears. Lucy was enthralling.

"What do you think I am?"

"Ah-ah," she said stepping toward him, "I answered your question."

"Guess." His voice was a command and came out lower than he expected. She raised a brow in response.

"Okay, I'll bite. Either a demon or a leech." She pointed toward his mouth; her eyes locked on his lips. "You have fangs." Be still his heart, she was witty and observant.

"Whatever you want me to be as long as I can take you out." He wanted to do more than just take Lucy out on a date. He imagined taking her throat in his castle room, her heart pounding as loudly as her moans in his ears. "Could take you anywhere you want to go. I've traveled the world."

"Tricky. Demons and vampires can trace."

"I feel like you enjoy challenges as much as I do. Tell me what you think I am, and I'll confirm or deny." A sly grin spread across her lips and she leaned in closer. She eyed him again, taking longer over his exposed arms and shoulders.

"Demon," she said with a hopeful note. He crossed his arms over his chest in an "x" and made a buzzer sound with a smile.

"Incorrect." All at once her eyes widened, and she took a few steps back.

"I better be going." Natsu dropped his arms in his confusion. While most Loreans weren't fond of vampires, they tolerated the ones without the red haze of bloodlust. Natsu's, he knew, were clear. This one wasn't a fan, as she called vampires "leeches."

"Why in a hurry?" Even though her body was beginning to turn away from him, her eyes still darted to his mouth. She turned toward the street. "Wait, did I do something wrong?" he asked. Natsu couldn't stop his hand from darting out to take her arm gently. Her skin like the comfort of fire against his as he took his first breath after centuries without the need. The air chilled his unpracticed lungs. His long-dormant heart spurred to life. The feeling nothing that he could remember from his childhood with a heartbeat. He pulled her towards him. A breath escaped her in a rush, and he took in the scent of her arousal— better than he ever dreamed. Her breaths labored with the rise and fall of her breasts and her chest flushed under his gaze. After all this time he had found her, like a gift from the gods themselves, his bride.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the kind words on last chapter! I got way more support for this story than I thought I'd have. I'm so grateful.

_Okay, let's put our thirsty witch energy on hold and focus…_

\- Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

_If you really wanted to see me beat my meat that bad, all you had to do was ask, Gajeel._

\- Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

* * *

Lucy came undone the minute the vampire charged into the alley. His body a sculpture lovingly carved, his shoulders and arms on full display, and his abs defined in his skintight top. His confidence radiated in everything he said with a sense of humor she hadn't expected. Natsu Dragneel was entirely her type, but he was a vampire. He moved so her back pressed against the cool surface of the stone alley wall. His touch heated her skin, and his lips softened enough for her to see the tips of his fangs lengthen. Her body hummed for more. The feeling took her aback. Centuries of hunting and killing leeches honed into her before she froze into her immortality, yet she craved something so taboo. She reasoned it was her lack of a sex life, but even now she wasn't so sure. His dark green eyes the first feature she noticed on him, clear and bright. He wasn't some bloodlust vampire driven crazy with memories, which meant he couldn't be Horde, so what was the problem? Why not pop her cork and run back home to Val Hall?

"Are you listening?" He grinned and revealed more of those fangs she found oddly sexy. What was wrong with her? She tensed, ready to kick him right between the thighs and take off toward the street, but the tight feeling in her sex gave her pause. Her sisters would tear her apart if they knew she got physical with a leech. Somehow the forbidden made this more appealing. If she wanted, she could give in at any moment, like Hades' extended hand to the underworld. Natsu leaned in close to her ear, his soft breath gave her shivers, and brushed his lips against her skin when he spoke. "Your scent is driving me crazy." She relaxed and moved into his touch. _Wait, He's breathing._ Lucy whipped her head back and collided into the wall. "Whoa, there," he said and placed his hand over hers to gently move her head away from the stone surface. "Okay, so no ears, I got it." His low chuckle ran down her body like the lightest of touches.

"How are you breathing?" All the lore knew about brides and vampire blooding. Most of them searched their whole immortal lives and never found their true fated one. Was he cheating on his bride? Playing with her to come home to his real lover? There was no way she was his. No way he could be breathing because of her. Natsu's face softened, and his eyes focused on her mouth.

"A gift from you and fate." The words said as though he told her the weather. His blooding a simple fact that he believed with conviction. A conviction so clear she didn't ask to confirm it, and for once, she had no come back. "I'd rather ask if you want this before I continue." His jaw clenched with restraint. A blooded vampire would not be able to come for the first time without his bride, the need supposed to build inside like an inferno. She was either the luckiest woman alive, to have the hottest male she ever saw ask her for consent to ravage her, or the most cursed to have him be a vampire. Natsu trailed the back of his hand against her cheek. The gesture soft and stirred something inside her. Did she want a relationship with a vampire for all her immortal life? No. Did she want him to grind her into next Tuesday?

"Yes," she said. He cradled her head in his palm and pressed his lips against hers. She sucked in a breath from the mere heat of the kiss. Lucy pulled him closer until she felt his length pressed against her. He caught himself on the wall on either side of her. The image of her body sliding down his, sheathing his shaft, invaded her mind like an obsession. As if answering her call, he moved to rock against her. The friction, even clothed, felt electric. A flash lit up the sky and a rumble followed, her Valkyrie gift of lightning revealed through her emotions. She heard the crushing stone where his hands met the wall and trailed her hands along his arms and down his chest. His skin hotter than she expected in the chill of the night, body tight with tension. Lucy expected his kiss to taste how her mouth did in war, saturated in the coppery flavor of blood. Yet, his mouth was a reverie, a warm place to curl up next to on a wintry night. His lips called her like a siren, caught her so off guard she felt her body meld against his in surrender. Her mind a whirlwind of guilt and exhilaration. Natsu was intoxicating.

"I'm tracing you to my place," he said between breaths. She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck.

They were in a dark room. Lucy's stomach flipped with the trace, but she had no time to dwell on the feeling. Her back pressed to something that felt like a wooden door and rattled with their weight. His hands hitched under her legs and pulled them around his middle. Lucy needed him closer, closer. They were a million miles apart. His kisses were rougher, his hands explored her sensitive skin. His fingers dipped into her top and grazed her awaiting breasts. Pleasure shot down her spine. His lips trailed her jaw to her exposed neck. To her surprise, she tilted her head for his lips and rolled her hips into him. A groan rumbled against her neck. They weren't close enough. She would go up in flames. The room illuminated before the crack of thunder. He moved her toward a bed in the darkness. His hands wrapped around her as though she would scurry away. What a fool. If only he knew how much she needed. Their bodies never close enough. Between clothes, between skin, she felt her body tune to him. Natsu lowered her down on the bed. She held back her frustration when he pulled away. The air against her skin chilled and she craved his heat again. What was wrong with her? Her mind in a fog of them. Lucy clutched at his arms as his hands found the hem of her top. She moved before he had to ask and felt him pull the material from her body. Her shorts and panties followed. The bed dipped and a candlelit beside them. Natsu moved his hand away, but she didn't find a match. His eyes pitch-black took in her bare skin. The darkness of lust spread across even the whites of his eyes.

"Perfect," he said. Lucy squirmed beneath him with impatience. There was no coming back. This vampire would take her over the edge.

* * *

Lucy's eyes were like liquid mercury, bright in his darkened room. Whatever she was, it wasn't a fey. Thunder cracked and lightning lit the castle room. Natsu had waited his entire life for this moment, and she didn't disappoint. Her body soft and pliant beneath his hands. Instinct roared for him to taste her. He trailed his hands along the inside of her thighs, so they splayed wider for him to fully fit between and lifted her leg over his shoulder. Their eyes locked as he trailed kisses toward her soaked curls. When his mouth met her skin, she arched her back. Her mouth agape, yet no sound left her lips.

"Gods, your scent," he said. His voice was low with soft praises as he kissed her damp folds. Never enough. He'd devour her. His fingers spread her for him to dip his tongue inside. He practically came with the squeeze of her walls around him. He'd last. He'd do it for her. One of his calloused hands gently wrapped around her breast and circled her nipple with his thumb. Lucy's face softened in her ecstasy, her brows coming together in the need he could read in her molten gaze. He flicked his tongue up to her waiting nub as he pinched the hard peak. Her hips lifted to meet his tongue. Natsu couldn't help but grin. When Lucy's soft cries slipped his name, she had grabbed a handful of her other breast. He groaned at her shameless gesture. Everything inside him screamed to satisfy her, his bride. He yanked her harder against his mouth. _Intoxicating._ He was a dying man finding salvation inside her. His new emotions slammed into him, needy, possessive, and drunk on her scent filling the air. _Bite her._

"Please." Lucy moaned and rolled her hips to fuck his mouth. He stroked her clit with his tongue, her sweetness trickled down his chin. Her voice stoked something primal inside him as he thrust against his own bed sheets. He nearly lost control between her legs, her form arched into his touch, so in tune with her body. Natsu slipped two fingers inside her. He held back a moan at the feeling of her walls clamping down on his digits. She cried out as she rode out her climax against him. As if her ecstasy were his own release, he came harder than he ever had in his long life. When one wave stopped, he coaxed her to another and another. Her legs quaked against him, instinct hungry for more from her, but her exhaustion became his own. He placed languid kisses against her skin as they stilled. He pulled away and stripped his soiled clothes. His limbs like lead as he crawled up her body. He pressed his face into her hair and wrapped his limbs around hers. Lucy's eyes closed; her breathing heavy in her fatigue. Natsu took in her scent, wanted it all over him, and sank into the bed. He hesitated that night to bite her. He craved to bury himself inside her when he marked her. The need heightened with their bodies pressed together, but the sun lifted from the horizon, and she slept against him. They lay there, the only sounds their breathing and the light patter of rain. A blanket of comfort surrounded his body, and for a moment, he felt peace. Natsu replayed the events like a daydream. He couldn't believe he had come in his pants like a teen. This woman, whatever she was, would be the death of him.

He awoke to an empty bed and the sound of a book falling to the floor. Natsu sat up, fangs out, ready to kill whoever snuck into his room. He met Lucy's caramel gaze, her naked body sitting at his desk with a book in her hand.

"Sorry, it slipped," she said. Observing her amid his things was surreal. Her presence was rarer than anything in his collection. He sat up; her eyes followed the sheet that trailed down his body. Her eyes flashed silver before he scented her.

"Lucy, I'm going to need you to calm down, unless you want me to drag you back into this bed." A flush dusted her cheeks, but her eyes narrowed.

"Stop being weird and smelling me."

"What are you doing?" he asked. She eyed the book and placed it back on the desk. Other things had shifted around on the wooden surface. For once, he wished fire wasn't his gift. He'd pay a small fortune to know what she thought. She tilted her head to the newspaper clippings.

"Who are you looking for, Natsu Dragneel?" Unlike every other person who asked that question, she sounded genuinely interested. He thought about his reply. As much as he wanted to trust his new bride, he chose to withhold his father's existence for now.

"Someone important to me." She raised a brow but didn't push further. When he spoke to her, a sense of comfort settled into his bones. As though her mere presence was enough to fill the hole many had left, or he wanted it to. She stood and collected her clothes. Her body mesmerized him as she ambled about the room. Disappointment sat heavily when she wrapped her top around her breasts and squeezed her hips into her tiny shorts. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving. Where are we anyway?" Lucy padded to the window. "Mind if I look?" Natsu nodded, and she peeked behind the curtain. A slanted ray of light illuminated her face for a moment, as she took in the scene below.

"You're in Fiore, my home." The word home tasted wrong in his mouth. Was this his home? A paper clipping slipped from a pin above his desk and fell to his chair. His home was a person, not a place.

"I have to go," Lucy said snapping the curtains shut. Her eyes were wide, and her fingers fidgeted with her top.

"What's wrong?" Natsu stood up and shook out his messy hair. There was no taming the strands. Her heart raced in his ears, but not from anxiety, as her eyes flickered molten mercury. A flush spread across her face. "If you would rather stay here," he said gesturing toward the bed, "I wouldn't say no. I don't have anywhere to go until sunset." She devoured him with her eyes, but a frown drew her lips.

"I need to—I need a few things." She stood straighter and flattened out her clothes with her palms, ready to leave. Natsu knew two things. First, Lucy was in a panic over being there. He could feel it in the way she adjusted her weight in her feet and glanced at the window. Whatever she saw there, spooked her. Second, she found him as attractive as he saw her. Lucy came with him willingly last night; she didn't hate him. Fate had chosen them to come together. Even so, he couldn't take away her freedom and keep her there.

"I can only trace to a dark place." He opened his wardrobe and pulled on fresh clothes. Lucy's eyes were on his body, but her mind was far away. She ran her fingers through her hair several times. "We're going to have to work on that worrying thing you do."

"I do not." Lucy wrapped her arms around herself. "At least not until recently," she said. The amusement he felt in the alleyway bubbled to the surface. He could take her to that spot again, as it would have coverage from the sun.

"Whatever you say, Lucy the Worrier." Her eyes widened.

"You better stop calling me that!"

"Why? Afraid it will catch on?" Lucy kicked at him playfully. He dodged easily, but could feel the power behind it, and took a mental note to avoid her kicks in the future. Natsu didn't blame her for the fear. If enough beings in the Lore called you by a tagline, it would etch into the living book of the Lore as a historical record.

"Very funny," she said. While her tone was indignant, her smile said something else. Natsu decided he liked this expression better than the last. It wouldn't take long for him to engrave this expression in his mind to keep for later. A gem he could keep, like the ones on his windowsill, to gaze upon when he felt lost. He pulled on his pants and slipped his feet into shoes.

"I can take you to the alley. It'll be dark there." She nodded and took his hand.

The alley was as dim as he thought it would be. The sound of soft footfalls and chatter among shop keepers and patrons drifted through the morning air. Fatigue raked at his body, but from practice, he felt able to push the feeling aside.

"Tracing feels awful." Lucy leaned against the alley wall, the same one he had her against the night before. His body hardened from the idea of doing it again.

"Better than passing through dimensions," he said. She raised an eyebrow and found her equilibrium. The gesture reminded him of himself as a child learning to trace for the first time. Igneel would laugh and tell him the same thing. _Better than passing through dimensions._ He told himself he would find out what that felt like. As though the challenge of it set his soul aflame. He had to know that he could do anything his father did, and in time he did. Traveling through dimensions as difficult as his father had said.

"Is that your tagline?" she asked, pulling him to the present.

"What?"

"Natsu the Dimension Walker."

"I like it, but no." Natsu couldn't help but grin. He loved his powers, the best gift he ever received from his father, and one he would repay him for. The guidance and patience his father showed him set in his memory.

"What is it?" she asked. Natsu held out his hand in front of him and allowed the fire inside to wrap lovingly around his fingertips and dance across his palm.

"Natsu the Salamander," he said. Lucy's eyes were saucers, and his fire flickered in them. The thrill that came with her reactions sent him looking for more ways to impress her.

"Some power you have there, Salamander," she said. Natsu closed his palm extinguishing the flame. His tagline came from the mouths of the Horde and demon mercenaries. A name that sank into his skin like a knife from her lips, a sinister whisper of the persona he never wished to grow into. Yet, it lived along the pride he felt of his gift.

"Call me Natsu."

"Well, Natsu, I have to go." Lucy moved toward the bright street. "Maybe, you can show me more of those powers of yours sometime." Her words held finality, but he waved to her anyway when she walked toward the street. Fate would bring them together again. He told himself he'd see her soon.

She was out of sight when he traced back to his room. Natsu planned to face plant against his bed for the day but found a large figure loom over his desk.

"If you really wanted to see me beat my meat that bad, all you had to do was ask, Gajeel." He barely withheld his laughter as the man jumped back from the sound of his voice.

"Fuck you, Salamander. I was just looking for you."

"Looks an awful lot like snooping through my stuff to me."

"I was passing the time with your piles of shit. What is that scent? You have a woman in here?" Gajeel wrinkled his nose and sat down at his desk chair— where Lucy had sat.

"What do you need?" Natsu slouched against the edge of his unmade bed.

"Looked into the Rufus guy. He was a whack job."

"No shit." Natsu rubbed at his temples. He had to explain to Zeref and Sting why he hadn't made a kill last night. Telling Gajeel about Lucy didn't sit horribly to Natsu, but telling the others sounded like a terrible idea. He had no way of protecting her, and he felt on edge without her.

"I assume you haven't killed your target yet." Gajeel produced a throwing knife from his palm and proceeded to aim at his wardrobe. The metal easily slid out from under his skin, a vampire gift like Natsu's.

"Find anything useful, Black Steel?"

"Hell yeah, but I need something from ya before I can spill." Of course, he needed something. Nothing was free and all everyone wanted was a piece of his time. "I want to kick the shit out of that brother of yours and take the throne." Gajeel's voice dripped with malice and eyes seethed. Natsu burst into laughter.

"What do you really want?" A loud thud came from his wardrobe as a throwing knife sank deep into the wood. "Come on now, Gajeel. That dresser never hurt you."

"I'm serious." The man turned to Natsu with a fierce red glow in his eyes. The look froze the fresh blood in his veins.

"I don't know why you want it so bad. Have a beef with the king?" Part of him still refused to use his name, to acknowledge him as his brother. He didn't deserve that title.

"It's not him I care about. He has an oracle I need."

"You don't have to go in fangs out just to speak to the oracle. Why would you want to claim the throne?" There was something he wasn't telling Natsu. Gajeel let out a long breath and the crimson shade in his eyes flickered to his usual onyx.

"Let's just say I can't get my mind off something she saw, but I can't meet with her. Zeref is keeping her to himself, refuses to let anyone else speak with her."

"He's strong, Gajeel."

"Coming from you? That must be true. Never heard you back down from a challenge." He rose from the desk and stood in front of the door. "Whatever, if you don't want to join me, I guess I'll just take the information I know to our heinie-ness."

"You won't tell him shit."

"Oh, I won't?" Gajeel raised a pierced brow.

"You hate him as much as I do."

"To get you to help me, I'll tell him everything." Gajeel's voice was a threat, low and ominous. This meant a lot to the vampire. If Sting knew about Natsu's failure, it would mean more trouble from him and Zeref. They'd keep a tight leash on him. The freedom he worked so hard to achieve would pull out from under him. Lucy's life could be in greater danger than it already was.

"Fine. I'll help you." Gajeel's grin spread across his visage like a blood vow. He wouldn't allow Natsu to forget this moment.

"So, someone murdered your guy. The being that murdered him, get this, was a Valkyrie." There was a jaunt to his step as he turned the desk chair around and straddled it.

"How do you know that?" The Horde stayed far away from the Valkyrie. Natsu had only met one in all his life but never saw their powers firsthand. He only knew the legends. If they were true, she would be a formidable foe.

"A few witnesses said they saw him talking to Ultear the Queen of Time, a hell of a sorceress before he had a busty blonde bunny follow him."

"What the hell does he need to talk to Ultear for?" Natsu heard her name in passing a few times among the Horde.

"Dunno. Could be something to do with his memories." Something sinister was going on in the Horde. The Minstrel's murder wasn't an accident if someone sent a Valkyrie after him. Now, they find he was getting his nose into some sorcery. All the sorceri were allies to the Horde, but was it his business with Ultear that cost him his life? Not to mention the weakened state Zeref was in. "Ah, you're already putting it together." Gajeel's grin was predatorial. His body leaning into the chair with impatience. "Something is brewing in the Horde. Ol' Zeref has been too preoccupied, with whatever he's using the oracle for, to see it."

"He must know something is going on. He knows about the Minstrel's death and warned me about the killer."

"What are you thinking?" Natsu didn't know how involved Zeref was. As the king of the Horde, Zeref not only had to know what the Minstrel was up to but also put Natsu up to the task of cleaning up his mess. Seeing through the Dark Wizard's plans was not usually this easy a feat. While he disagreed with Gajeel about Zeref being in the dark about the Minstrel, he agreed that the Horde king appeared preoccupied. The image of the vampire with dark sunken eyes and unkempt appearance weighed heavy to the side of distraction. Natsu never saw him this way. In fact, Zeref paid attention to the way he stood before his young brother. His appearance reminded Natsu of himself while he searched for Igneel. The years before he met Gray disappeared from his memory in a haze. When the forebearer found him, he was what Gray called a "malnourished orphan with an attitude." That realization felt like cotton in his mouth. Zeref was on the hunt.

"Whatever Zeref is after, he wants it badly."

"All the more reason to take him out, retrieve power, and reclaim our freedom." Gajeel was leaning into the chair so heavily that two legs lifted off the ground. His excitement was palpable, and without realizing it, he said Natsu's favorite word. The usual sense of mischief that felt so absent to Natsu rose up in force.

"Well," he said, "we may be just the vampires to keep him from getting what he wants."

"That's what I like to hear." Gajeel stood and slipped the chair beneath his desk.

"By the way, how did they know the blonde was a Valk?" Natsu asked.

"My informants said they knew her, and she was asking around for the Minstrel with her cute little pointy ears." Gajeel squinted up at the ceiling in thought. "I think they said her name was Lily, no, Lauren, or—"

"Lucy." His freshly beating heart froze in the cage of his chest. He should have known. No wonder he had never seen her in the club before. Even the lightning and thunder from their night fell suspiciously into place. He avoided the Valkyrie. The only one he ever met was a busty redhead. Amid war, Zeref secured the Horde crown and met with her to declare a truce, taking Natsu with him as his right hand. It stood out to Natsu that she had come by herself to meet two vampires of their strength. He never cared about the status quo, or who was on what side, so he felt nothing but respect for her at the time.

"That's what it was! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." Natsu's mouth burned the way it did when he lied. He didn't want to think about this. He needed to speak to Lucy and figure out what he was going to do. A million ideas ran through his mind. They could stage her death or make a scene somewhere, so people believed he had killed her. There was no way in hell he would kill her for the Horde. Her safety his top priority. He'd go back to the alleyway and track her scent. "I'm leaving." Gajeel's eyes narrowed. Natsu saw the lightbulb go off in the vampire's head.

"The blonde bunny is your bride!" Gajeel leapt forward when Natsu traced from the room.

* * *

"Cana, remind me again, why you are coming?" Erza asked. Lucy slumped in the passenger seat of her sister's matte black Lamborghini. The interior smelt of the rich leather seats that hugged her body as soon as she sat. Cana scrolled through her smart sat phone in the back seat. The last time Cana was in this car she ate fast food and, in Erza's words, smeared greasy fingerprints all over the leather. She firmly had kicked Cana out, and no Valkyrie heard the end of it. One thing Erza loved more than her collection of armor, was her Lambo. Many immortals acquired a lot of money over their long lives. Erza was a collector who cared a lot about her car.

"Entertainment, of course." She continued to run her black painted claw over her phone screen.

"You know what would be super entertaining, Cana?" Lucy said. This time, her sister looked up from the screen. Her long brunette hair fell in waves over her shoulder and she ran her fingers through it.

"What?"

"If you had given me my bounty money!" Lucy had already lectured Cana about the prize money, but the soothsayer chose that moment to have a vision and completely ignored everything Lucy said. Cana scowled and went back to her phone.

"I told you. I don't remember any prize money or bounty for that matter."

"Why do you need the money, Lucy?" Erza asked.

"I don't. It's the principle of it. She said I couldn't kill the Minstrel and put a bounty on it. I proved her wrong, and she conveniently forgot to pay up." What disappointed Lucy wasn't the absence of the reward money, but the recognition. All her sisters were strong and successful in some way. Centuries ago, Erza had won a war by herself. Even Cana had seen her fair share of battles, of strength. Lucy had none of that. She'd leapt out of Val Hall at an early age in search of power, of war. Each time, she'd show up to Val Hall with not so much as a pat on the back. She knew they were stronger than her, and praise wasn't exactly a Valkyrie's strong suit. Yet, she craved it. Lucy whipped around and stretched to smack her sister. Cana swatted at Lucy's hand and backed closer to the tinted window just out of reach.

"Will you two quit it!" Erza said.

"If she hadn't sent me on that stupid bounty, I wouldn't have to deal with Horde vampires!" Lucy said.

"I don't care, you're both giving me a headache."

"Just admit you liked it!" Cana said, making herself as small as possible in the seat to avoid Lucy's claws.

"Like what? I'm on their hit list!"

"Didn't look like he was trying to murder you to me." The look Cana gave her said it all. _Keep trying to kill me and Erza will know you sexed it up with a vampire._ Lucy's mouth opened and closed like a fish, and she turned in her seat. The warm air from the heater whipped her hair into her eyes. She cursed her God and Goddess for giving Cana the power of a soothsayer.

"You are so delulu," Lucy said. Erza's eyes were straight ahead and her posture said she hadn't heard a word they were saying.

The purple Victorian home was a welcome sight. Lucy bounded out of the car as soon as Erza hit the brake and climbed up the front steps to knock on the door.

"Hello, Miss Lucy!" Juvia said. Her pale blue hair braided in winter jasmine and a crown of them topped her head. Her smile died when Cana peeked out from behind Lucy. "I think Miss Levy is in the study." The witch's voice shook.

"Of course, she is," Lucy said. Juvia nodded and dashed back into the house toward the kitchen. Lucy allowed herself in and the Valkyrie followed into the familiar house.

"What did you do to her, Cana?" Erza asked.

"Just had a vision about her future lover. No idea why she took it so hard," Cana said. Lucy couldn't blame Juvia for fearing Cana's visions. They were never wrong.

"I wonder why," Lucy said. Her eyes narrowed toward Cana, who stuck out her tongue and followed Lucy up the stairs.

"Why in the world did she choose to live in a study?" Erza asked when they reached the third floor.

"Think of it this way. Wouldn't you love to live in a room full of armor?" Lucy said and lightly knocked. She heard no sound of the resident inside.

"Touché," Erza replied. Lucy turned the knob and peeked in. The study was a busy mess and clearly, someone lived among the tomes. The bed pressed against the one bare wall and appeared untouched. The books littered the floor and little empty teacups stacked on top of a tiny desk by the window among some of Levy's framed pictures of the coven. The rest of the room consisted of floor to ceiling bookshelves.

"Levy?" Erza said.

"Is she even alive in here?" Cana asked one of the shelves, trailing a claw across the spines.

"Hello? Levy the Bookworm!" Lucy called.

"That's Levy the All-powerful! Don't keep using that tagline," Levy said peaking from around the corner of a shelf. She wore a pair of red spectacles that hung from the end of her nose. Pansies and primrose tumbled from her tousled hair. She had a cup of hot tea in one hand and a book in the other. Levy's words reminded her of Natsu. "Lucy the Worrier" looming over her head like a curse. She felt a pang in her chest for using one like it on Levy.

"Dually noted. Now, if you are free, I need your help."

"Who doesn't?" She sipped her tea and set the rest on her desk next to the empty stack. Her gaze fell to the women behind her. "What brings the Valkyrie to my study?" She lifted a blue brow at Cana clutching a book to her face. The cover revealed her holding it upside down.

"Remember that warding spell?" Lucy asked.

"Change your mind?" Levy said. Erza picked up around the room and set things in their places. When Lucy told Erza that she needed a warding spell, she had said she'd keep it a secret from the others, who would tease her for all eternity for it. The last thing Lucy wanted to do was have them all know she hid behind witchcraft. Though, she saw no other choice but to tell Erza. Cana, of course, already knew about her predicament and slid into the car as soon as Erza revved the engine.

"Ran into a Horde assassin last night, so I think it would be better if I lay low." Lucy moved so Cana could scoot over to the desk. The soothsayer pushed teacups to the side so she could sit on the desktop. Levy deadpanned at the Valkyrie but said nothing.

"I bet you did," Cana said studying the book in her hands.

"Well I'll need another witch, but that's not a problem. I'll be able to keep them from tracking you, but I can't promise you'll be completely invisible from them. You'll have a sort of barrier around you as well." Levy turned to Erza, who ceased cleaning to listen to Levy. "I added that last part myself a while back." The witch grinned and lifted her chin. She pushed books aside as she scurried toward the door. Witch hazel fell around her as she went. Fresh flowers grew where the others vanished. Lucy had known Levy for a couple centuries but still found herself in awe of her powers from time to time. The witch peeked out the door and lifted two fingers in front of her. Small blue sparks flicked up her hands as she moved them through the air. The word "megaphone" manifested through her fingertips and hovered there. Levy pressed the letters to her lips. "Juvia!" She called. They all covered their ears from the sheer volume. The walls shook, a few books fell to the floor, and a teacup nearly shattered had Cana not grabbed it. "She'll be here in a moment," Levy said into the room. Her voice boomed louder shaking more bookcases and sent books tumbling.

"Take that off your mouth!" Lucy said.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Levy whipped her hands across the words, and they disappeared. Footsteps pattered up the stairs in the new silence.

"You gave Juvia a fright!" Juvia said pressing a palm against her chest and out of breath.

"That was fast. We need to do a warding spell for Lucy." Levy pointed into the room. Erza politely said hello, but Cana had her gaze out the window. Her eyes glazed over in her usual lack of lucidity.

"Okay," Juvia said wringing her hands.

"Juvia! Cana won't bite you. Don't bring that rain in here!" Levy nudged Juvia from the doorway and into the hall. A small storm cloud had formed above her head and threatened to downpour.

"Juvia's sorry." Juvia flung her arms above her head to dissipate the cloud. "Hope you're alright, Miss Lucy."

"I'll be fine. I appreciate the concern," Lucy replied. Levy rattled off a list of things for her fellow witch to get that Lucy didn't understand.

"Oh goodie," Cana said perched on Levy's desk overlooking the window, "Lucy, your man is here." Lucy felt the earth shift beneath her.

"What?" She leaped to the window and squashed her face next to Cana. Sure enough, Natsu stood beneath the precarious shade of a tree just in front of the house. Another man stood beside him. He was taller than Natsu with long black hair down his back and angry-looking piercings. They yelled at each other, but she couldn't hear much through the glass.

"You have a man?" Levy asked trying to push Cana out of the way. The man pushed Natsu and laughed when he stepped into the sun. A puff of smoke wafted up from Natsu's skin and he moved back into the shade. He pushed the other vampire back, who seemed more bothered by the burn.

"Your man is a vampire?" Erza had squished her way into the window and glared down at the men below. Lucy had to do something even if they couldn't come into the house. She turned to the women beside her to tell them, but Erza's hands were already at the window pulling the glass up.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a bride?!" the tall one said. His voice was deeper than Natsu's and had an edge like a knife you didn't want to touch.

"Why is it your business?" Natsu said. All the women turned to Lucy.

"What?" Lucy said.

"The one with the long hair is hot as hell," Levy said. Eyes moved quickly to the witch crouched at the end. "What? Only Lucy gets to bang a leech? I want one." She appeared positively giddy at the window.

"Okay," Lucy said, "Let's put our thirsty witch energy on hold and focus on the two Horde vampires on your lawn."

"Yes, let's focus on the fact that Lucy banged a vamp," Cana said flipping a page in the book she carried.

"I didn't bang him!" Lucy could feel the heat rising in her face. Was what they had done considered banging? Asking the others was out of the question.

"Lucy!" Natsu called. Lucy closed her eyes and willed that they would be gone when she opened them. "Hey! We have to talk!"

"This isn't happening," she said.

"Why would Miss Lucy bang a vamp, as Miss Cana said?" Juvia added. She had wiggled her way between Lucy's legs and gazed out the window from below her breasts. They must make an interesting sight. The Valkyrie and witches pressed together to fill the window of the highest tower in the witch coven's home.

"Lucy!" Natsu called again.

"Oh, maybe I can give him my megaphone," Levy said. Lucy opened her eyes to glare at her. A smirk spread across the witch's face.

"Will you be quiet!" Lucy said down to the vampires. Both men fell silent and Natsu's smile returned.

"Oof, he's handsome," Levy said. A sting flared up in Lucy's chest at Levy's words. Lucy chose to believe the witch said this about the tall dark one and not about Natsu.

"I need to speak to you!" he said.

"Go home, Natsu!" she called back.

"Oh, first name basis? Nice." Levy poked at Lucy's cheeks and chuckled.

"I need to talk to you first!" Natsu persisted.

"Why can't you do that another time? I'm pretty busy." Lucy reminded herself it wasn't a lie. A warding spell loomed in her future.

"Who's your friend, Natsu?" Levy called. Lucy clamped a hand down on the witch's lips. The friend smiled from below and waved up at them. The gesture appeared so out of character for the studded intimidating vampire.

"Who, him? He's not my friend." Natsu pointed with his thumb at the man standing behind him, who hit Natsu on the shoulder.

"Name's Gajeel," the friend called. Levy wrenched Lucy's hand away from her mouth and waved to him.

"Now that we're introduced, can I come in?" Natsu asked.

"Go home!" Lucy imagined herself buried in the dirt beneath the house—never to emerge for all eternity.

"Wait, I know him," Erza said. Her thumb and index finger pressed against her chin in thought. "Yeah, in a war a few centuries ago. A new king came into power, and I met with him, the Dark Wizard. I believe they're brothers. Though, I don't remember his tagline."

"Natsu the Salamander," Cana said. She turned the living book of Lore in her hands to reveal a weathered page with an illustration. The drawing was of Natsu. His chest bare, flames engulfed his body, and his gaze fearsome. Levy whistled low.

"I need to speak to him. Lucy, can you convince him to come to Val Hall and stay in our dungeons?" Erza asked.

"What? Why?" Lucy asked with heart racing in her throat. Would she kill him? Was her trepidation over Natsu's wellbeing or that she cared about his wellbeing at all? Not to mention, Erza would never allow a Horde vampire anywhere near Val Hall, nevertheless underneath it. The idea that they had met before intrigued her. What was he like back then? The illustration Cana held struck her. Sure, he appeared as though he would burn you down and use your finger bones for toothpicks. Yet, there was something else simmering there just under the surface. His room, filled with clippings and trinkets, revealed his desperation. Who was he looking for that made his expression look like this?

"His brother may know what the former king did with Mavis," Erza said.

"Erza, you can't be serious," Lucy said. When Mavis the Fairy Tactician, and the queen of the Valkyrie, went missing, Erza had stepped up to fill her place. The weight on her shoulders immense. "What makes you think they'll tell the truth?" Everything that day felt bizarre. Waking in a vampire's bed, finding out he lived on Horde lands, and Erza persuading Lucy to allow two Horde on Levy's lawn to accompany them in their dungeons.

"There's no need for that, Miss Erza," Juvia said, "We have a dungeon here."

"What? When did you get a dungeon?" Lucy asked.

"Here's a better question. Why would you need a dungeon?" Erza said. Levy clapped her hands together.

"Of course! I almost forgot we had them installed in the basement. Good thinking, Juvia!" Levy slapped her coven sister on the back. Some of Juvia's flowers at her crown fell into her face. "For those pesky clients that won't pay up. You know what I mean." Levy elbowed Lucy and pointed to Cana.

"Are you accusing me of something, witch?" Cana sneered and closed the book in her hands.

"Yeah, like how you gave me a bounty and never paid up! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess," Lucy said and pointed toward the vampires in the yard.

"So, what do you say, Lucy?" Erza asked. The woman beamed at her idea to question them. The image of Natsu tortured for information rose up with her pulse. How much did she care for the vampire below Levy's window? A crooked grin on his face hidden beneath the shade of a tree in the middle of the day just to speak with her. She cared a lot and she didn't know why.

"Fine, but I will be part of any questioning you do," Lucy said. She made it a point to sound bothered by the idea.

"Perfect." Erza clapped her hands together and grinned. "It's decided."

"You can come in," Lucy called down to Natsu, whose face lit up like a child given a gift. "But you have to stay in their dungeons." His face fell.

"Why the hell are we staying in a dungeon?" Gajeel said.

"Our safety," Erza said. Her voice carried a sharpness to it that Lucy knew well.

"Okay," Natsu said. His eyes set on the front door, shaded by the porch overhang.

"What? Hold on. We're not staying in a dungeon," Gajeel said, grabbing Natsu's arm.

"I need to speak to Lucy." Natsu's face stern from the view of the coven window.

"One-track mind, that one. I'll go open the door, so they don't get all crispy," Cana said. Erza already turned toward the stairs.

"I'd hate to see those handsome faces messed up by the sun," Levy said. The flowers in her hair were blooming at a higher rate than before. Some of the petals drifted down to the floor like autumn leaves. All the women practically bounded to the stairs. The clatter of their footsteps and excited voices traveled down with them. The events that transpired were an exciting welcome to break up their mundane. Lucy remained at the window. Gajeel continued to tug on Natsu but traced out of existence with him toward the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

_Do you know what the Valkyrie do for sport…? We kill leeches, rip their fangs from their skulls, and hang them on the wall for decoration._

-Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

_Did the guy you ate have black hair? Blue eyes? A stupid face? Runs around naked?_

-Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

* * *

"No, absolutely not," Lucy said. Erza stood before her with hands on her hips. The women stood between the door to the dungeon and the stairs to the rest of the coven house. The darkness of the basement gave Lucy the chills. The only light came from old exposed bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Levy closed the door to the dungeon and stood beside Lucy.

"I have a barrier placed on the dungeon. No one traces out or in," she said. While Lucy felt dread, the witch practically bounced on her heels with excitement.

"Why? We can't let them think we're going to go soft on them," Erza continued.

"What's the problem?" Levy asked.

"Erza wants to torture them a bit, but Lucy says no violence." Cana pointed between the two and leaned against the basement wall. Lucy found it suspicious how little Cana had intervened in all this.

"I'm beginning to think you feel something for that vampire." Erza's eyes narrowed and Cana shot her a wink. Juvia's footsteps cut through their conversation. The little witch bounded down the stairs with a slip of paper in her hands.

"I believe I got everything for the warding spell, Miss Lucy." Her eyes scrolling through the list.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice rang out in the cold basement. Lucy's heart hammered in her chest at the sound of her name shouted in the darkness.

"Fine, we can just talk to him. But if he tries to hold back form me, I will use violence." She pushed through the dungeon door, and Lucy trailed behind her. The mystical barrier was so thick that she could feel it pass over her skin.

"Lucy!" Natsu called.

"Will you shut up? I'm here," Lucy said. The temperature had dropped substantially since they entered the room. A clang of bars came from one of the cells. Each one reminded her of ancient times with archaic cells that held no bathroom or cot. Just metal bars, a cement floor, and a corner bucket.

"Isn't it great?" Levy said, "I wanted it to look like one of those renaissance festivals the humans like."

"Levy, this is barbaric."

"I know, right? So aesthetically pleasing." Why was Levy her friend again? The whole dungeon gave her the creeps. At least the dungeon at Val Hall was modern. They found Natsu pressed against the bars at the farthest cell from the door. His fingers gripped around the enchanted metal with a scowl plastered on his face. Gajeel sat in the corner of the same cell—far away from the single bucket. His eyes closed as though he slept.

"What is this about a warding spell?" Natsu's attention fixed on Lucy.

"We have some questions for you." Erza stood straighter with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Are you trying to keep me away from you?" Natsu ignored Erza even when she moved to break his line of sight.

"I am." She had no reason to lie about it since she never promised him forever. His brows came together, and he pulled away from the bars.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked. The question echoed from the night before. When she pulled away from him in the alley, he had asked her the same. Her heart squeezed in her chest at his downtrodden expression. Erza banged on the bars with her dagger.

"Hey! Eyes over here and answer me or I'll gut you both," Erza said. The dagger had manifested from the air with a natural grace that named her, Erza "Titania" the Fairy Queen. Natsu's scowl resurfaced—his attention on Erza. Gajeel's eyes opened to focus on the knife in her hands. "What has your brother done with Mavis?" She threw the question at the vampires. Natsu's jaw tensed and hands curled into fists.

"I need to speak to Lucy. Alone." Natsu stood nearly touching the blade. The fearlessness in his demand not lost on Lucy.

"Answer my question, and I'll allow it."

"Allow it? I will speak to Lucy, and then you'll ask your question." No one spoke to Erza this way and lived. Her pulse quickened in her throat. Gajeel had one hand on the ground as if ready to stand. A soft red haze shimmered across his vision. If they fought, would Natsu win? Would Erza kill him? How enchanted was Levy's new basement dungeon? A chill ran through her spine. What could she do?

"I'll talk to him, Erza." Lucy stepped beside her. Erza rooted in place—a glare fixed to her face. "Can't you trust me?"

"There was never a time, Lucy, that I didn't trust you with my life." Erza frowned and turned to the door. Lucy got what she wanted. No one would be killing anyone, and yet she felt unsatisfied. Cana patted her on the back.

"Have fun." She looped her arm around Levy's and pulled her to the door. Juvia followed behind and waved to Lucy on her way out. She waited until the door clicked shut.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Shouldn't brides be nicer?" Gajeel said.

"Be quiet," both replied in unison. Gajeel grinned and adjusted himself on the cement floor.

"Why are you using a warding spell?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, come on. You're a Horde vampire and your brother is the king. There is no way this is working out for either of us." Lucy wrapped her arms around her as Natsu leaned into the bars.

"She's got you there," Gajeel added.

"Now, why are you here, Natsu?" Lucy said.

"You killed Rufus the Minstrel."

"You don't sound surprised." While she wanted to gloat about the kill, she had to admit the Minstrel was strong. The leech nearly ripped her arm off.

"Why would I be?" Natsu let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders drooped noticeably. "I came here to figure out how I could keep you safe from them. I'm only in the Horde for the protection. Can't run alone in the Lore. My allegiances were never with Zeref, and he's no brother to me."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Born vampires can't lie." Gajeel picked at his cuticles with a kunai he'd produced. Lucy made a mental note of his power.

"Even if that's true, I don't need protection," Lucy said. Gajeel chuckled and moved to the other hand.

"Not even I can defend myself from the entire Horde, Lucy. They want the one who murdered him dead," Natsu said. Lucy was no fragile maiden requiring protection. Her powers, while not as strong as the others, were nothing to underestimate. Thunder rumbled outside.

"Do you know what the Valkyrie do for sport, Natsu?" Lucy stepped closer to the bars. His eyes roamed her curves and darkened. "We kill leeches, rip their fangs from their skulls, and hang them on the wall for decoration."

"Sounds like fun," Natsu said. From what little they'd spoken, Lucy found it unsurprising to hear him take what she said as a challenge rather than a threat.

"If you don't stop coming after me, talking about protection as if I'm a lamb at the slaughter instead of an immortal Valkyrie, I will have to play that sport with you too." She turned from the bars and walked out of the dungeon. The door slammed behind her, and her pulse raced. Surely it was anger and not the way he looked at her that made her blood burn.

* * *

"I like her," Gajeel said.

"What's not to like?" Natsu slid down to the floor with his legs crossed.

"Do you know where their Valk is?" Gajeel's voice held no accusations and he leaned toward Natsu waiting for his reply.

"No. Zeref may have done it and told no one. Could possibly be the work of the old king."

"So, what happens when they find out we have no information for them?"

"Lucy won't let them do anything to us." Natsu propped his chin in his palm. Why would they think he had information? They must believe he and Zeref were close enough to exchange that kind of information. Would explain the way Lucy felt about him. The idea that Zeref could impair the way his bride saw him made him indignant.

"You mean she won't let them do anything to you! What about me? Also, I don't know if you heard her correctly, but these women want us dismembered and thrown to the wolves."

"The blue one likes you; you'll be fine." He waved his hand in dismissal and racked his brain for any clues of a captured Valkyrie. When Zeref took the throne, they met with Erza. They hadn't fought about anything then, and she wouldn't have agreed to the truce had the former king or Zeref taken Mavis. She either didn't know about the capture then, or Mavis wasn't missing yet. Was the Valkyrie taken by someone else? "Were you around for the last Accession war?" Gajeel's brows furrowed, his gaze going red, investigating memories.

"I have some memories from that time, but I'm not sure which ones were mine." Gajeel tilted his head with an unfocused stare into the dungeon.

"Anything about the Valkyrie?" The more Natsu thought, the more he believed Zeref had something to do with the Valkyrie's disappearance. His secrets ran deep, and the Valkyrie already deduced that he had.

"No, but I did kill a Forebearer that seems to have been in the war." Gajeel grimaced and his eyes dropped back to Natsu, clearing in the process. "I can't tell shit from these memories."

"Did the guy you ate have black hair? Blue eyes? A stupid face? Runs around naked?" Part of him hoped Gray was dead. _Annoying bastard._ The other part wanted him alive. He could call him there and ask if he knew about their Valkyrie. Maybe if he sent Erza to Gray, she could kill him and allow Natsu some time alone with Lucy. Two birds.

"Nah, some light-haired guy I had to kill on a bounty." This was perfect. The door to the dungeon clicked open and slammed shut behind someone. Their footfalls clicking against the cement floor.

"Okay, you had your time," Erza said. The armor she wore was an iridescent color that hurt his eyes if he looked at it for too long.

"A little overdressed, aren't we?" Natsu asked from the floor. Gajeel laughed through his nose. A spear manifested in Erza's grasp.

"Does your king know what happened to Mavis the Fairy Tactician?" Her eyes flickered the silver of her race. A rumble of thunder cut through the basement walls.

"Wow. With a tagline like that, I can understand why someone would want her," Gajeel said. With one fluid movement, Erza lunged forward and cut into Gajeel's cheek with her spear. His eyes turned a deep crimson and blood dripped from the cut. Natsu instinctively reached his arm out and pressed it over Gajeel's chest to keep him from standing. If he decided to attack Erza, Natsu wasn't sure he could hold him back.

"This is the first time I've heard her name," Natsu said, "If I recall, the Horde was not the only vampire group in that war." Erza's lips pressed into a thin line.

"You expect me to believe some human-turned-leech could capture and hold the queen of the Valkyrie?"

"That I can't say, but lucky for you I know one personally and we can just ask them." He had to speak carefully. While he hadn't seen her in battle, he surmised that this Valkyrie had enough kills on her belt to prove that she could easily rip their spines out of their throats.

"Who?"

"Gray Fullbuster, the Forebearer's general," Natsu said. Gajeel pushed his arm from his chest and didn't bother to wipe the blood from his cheek.

"How would you know a Forebearer?" Erza adjusted the spear to point through the bars at his face. Her muscles bunched in her arms, ready to plunge the weapon into his skull.

"Let's get this out of the way," Natsu said, "I have no allegiance to anyone, especially not Zeref. In fact, go ahead and kill him for all I care. My biggest concern now is Lucy's safety." Her grip loosened on the spear.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" she asked.

"Born vampires can't lie. Why does no one know this?" Gajeel said. Erza's brows came together, but she didn't question it.

"Where does this general come into the picture?" Erza asked.

"Before I joined the crusty Horde, I traveled with him. We were together a few centuries. I didn't join the Horde until Zeref took the throne." The spear lowered from his face and she set the end down on the floor with a clink.

"How can we contact him?" she asked.

"Why not just summon the bastard?" Gajeel's grin was wide and menacing. The image of Gray popping into a witch's coven and being manhandled sat well with Natsu.

"Sure, why not?" Natsu shrugged and leaned against the back wall. "We have enough room in here."

"Oh no, we are separating you two."

"What? Why?" Gajeel asked.

"I'd like to remind you that I don't trust either of you." The spear disappeared, but the threat remained. "I'll have someone here to escort you to a new cell." Erza clinked and clanked all the way to the dungeon door.

"What's with the armor?" Natsu said.

"Beats me. Why are you allowing these women to boss you around? Last I checked you didn't let anyone tie you down." How could he explain how important Lucy felt to him?

"I chose to come here."

"So? They're still running the show. Not much freedom here." He gestured toward the bared cells.

"Freedom is about choices, and I chose Lucy."

"Didn't fate do that?"

"What can I say? Fate has good taste in women." Footsteps came down the basement stairs.

"Hey, before they separate us, I have to ask you something," Gajeel said, "How did you know the bunny was your bride?" The question sounded so genuine that Natsu didn't know how to respond.

"Um, she blooded me. Has no one taught you the vampire birds and bees?"

"I'm not fucking around." Gajeel's eyes flashed. "Before that. How did you know she was your bride?" Her heartbeat had reverberated against his chest like the music that shook the walls that night. His mind swam with it. Even now, he could faintly hear it through the witch's thick barrier. A siren song for him alone. When she left the dungeon, her absence could have driven him mad if he let it. What had intrigued him about her that night?

"At first, it was her heartbeat." Natsu turned to the man beside him in earnest. Gajeel focused on him as though he were giving him the directions to the holy grail. "It was so loud; I couldn't look away. Couldn't get it out of my head. But it was her touch that confirmed it." The door opened and made Gajeel jump. The woman who stood before them this time was the Valkyrie with long brown hair.

"Hello, boys. I'm Cana and I'll be your escort today. I've been instructed to bring this one to the first cell." She pointed to Gajeel with her long black painted claw.

* * *

"Lucy, if you don't stop shaking your leg and making the floor creak, I'm going to throw you out." Levy sat on the living room floor. The couch moved back so that they could create a summoning circle. Lucy ceased the nervous habit and laid with her head back on the sofa cushions.

"I'm stressed," she said.

"I would be too, if the guy I slept was the prince of the Horde."

"We didn't sleep together!" Lucy straightened; her legs tucked beneath her. Levy merely hummed to herself as she drew the circle out in salt. "We didn't!"

"Look, I wouldn't even blame you if you did. It's the Valkyrie who have a problem with vampires, not me."

"Why is that?"

"You all are on a crusade. We are mercenaries doing business with the highest bidder." Her fingers worked in a little bowl to stir a paste made of herbs. With easy strokes, she drew sigils on the wood floor. "Once you get all your stuff sorted out with your vamp, I'll be having a nice chat with his friend."

"You really are thirsty." Lucy saw the back porch from a window in the living room. The backyard was lush and green with plant life. Farther off were rocks that stood proud against the crashing sea. Erza leaned against the banister with her face toward the horizon. Since she emerged from the basement, she appeared out of focus. How long had she waited for a sign of Mavis?

"I wouldn't worry too much about her." Cana closed the basement door and sauntered to the couch.

"What if we find out Mavis is dead?" Lucy asked. Cana shrugged and plopped down beside her.

"I don't know, my love."

"Why do I not believe that?" The soothsayer was not like a full blood vampire. She could lie. Kooky Cana knew exactly what she was saying. Cana's plans and pace of time a mystery to all. "I'm sure you already know where Mavis is." Cana leaned her head against Lucy's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"That should do it." Levy stood from her spot in the center of her salt circle.

"Juvia has candles." Juvia stood beside her with arms full of fresh white candles.

"Draw the sigils on those, and I'll grab the book of shadows." Levy bounded from the living room, a fresh pep in her step.

"At least someone is happy about all this," Lucy said.

"Is Miss Lucy worried about her vampire?" Juvia asked. She held a small pocketknife and carved each candle. Watching the process felt soothing.

"My vampire? Not really. If he complies with us, nothing should happen to him," Lucy said. Cana laughed and sat up from her shoulder.

"You really think Erza won't want to add his fangs to her collection?" she said.

"Not if I tell her not to."

"And they call me kooky." Cana shook her head and glanced at Erza from the window. "That woman out there will do anything for Mavis."

"Why?" Juvia asked. Her hands froze over the half-carved sigil.

"She believes it was her fault that Mavis disappeared." For once, Cana didn't deny what she already knew. This was the first time Lucy heard this about Erza. No one gave the details on Mavis's disappearance.

"Well, that's obviously not true," Lucy said.

"She'll learn that eventually." Cana regarded Lucy, and Juvia continued to carve. "Your man is all alone down there. You sure you have nothing else to say to him?" she asked.

"I don't know what's worse. The fact that you just called him "my man," or that you are goading me to speak to him. What do you get out of it if I do speak to him?" Lucy said. Cana placed a hand over her heart in her false offense.

"Why would you believe I had an ulterior motive? I just want to see you happy, and I believe he would do that for you." Lucy couldn't help the spike in her heartbeat. Had Cana seen something? Was Natsu in her future? Why did that idea excite her? Impossible. Leeches and Valkyrie don't go together. She'd be a laughingstock that no one would take seriously. Erza would kick her out of Val Hall. Yet her thoughts betrayed her. His hands against her inner thighs spreading them for better access occupied her. His darkened eyes gazing across her skin as if she were his salvation. "Did I do something wrong?" he had asked. Gods no. He had done absolutely nothing wrong, except exist. Cana stood from the sofa and moved to the dining room. The back door opened and closed behind her. Erza didn't even look up when Cana stood beside her. Cana may not have an ulterior motive. Lucy leaned back into the sofa and allowed her a reprieve to fantasize about the vampire in her friend's basement. She thought about how he stood up against Erza, his eyes darkening with malice. He was so sure of himself, so ready to take her on to get to Lucy. His appearance was almost as hot as his image in the living book of Lore. She pictured that muscular body over her, his lips hovered over her skin, their bodies merged in heated bliss.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice cut through the house like a knife. Lucy startled in her spot on the couch. Everyone, including the two women on the porch, turned to her. Her cheeks warmed under their gazes. She convinced herself that she was angry and not embarrassed.

"I'll deal with it." Lucy stood and waved to the room to continue whatever they were doing. She gave the two outside a thumbs up to set them at ease and dashed toward his voice.

"Lucy Heartfilia!" he called. Lucy cringed at her full name. Why had she given him her full name? Her pace quickened down the basement stairs.

"You are the loudest person I have ever met in my life!" she said.

"Can we stop all the screaming?" Gajeel asked from the first cell by the door. She watched him produce two metal earplugs and shove them into his ears. "Wake me when all the screaming is over," he said. His voice louder in his lack of hearing. He lay on the floor and turned toward the wall. Lucy stomped to the farthest cell and found Natsu against the bars. His eyes the dark black of high emotion.

"You are the most—" she began.

"I could hear your heartbeat speed up from down here," he groaned, "I can scent you." His eyes squeezed shut as if to shut something out.

"Sorry to bother you then." She turned to leave. If all he wanted was to complain about her heartbeat, then he could sit in the basement and rot. She'd ask Levy to soundproof the dungeon better. He reached out between the bars and grabbed her arm.

"You weren't doing anything by yourself, were you?" His voice dipped low. Lucy glanced at the farthest cell. She could still see Gajeel lying on the floor with his metal earplugs. Natsu gently took her chin between his thumb and forefinger turning her to face him. The darkness in his gaze remained, his lids heavier than before. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

"I don't see how that's your business."

"You're my bride, and your body is screaming at me." His hand lightly grazed her jaw and moved down to her décolletage. Her eyes slid closed. A heat snaked down her body from his fingertips. She opened her eyes to watch his eyes fix to her mouth. His grasp loosened on her arm and slid down her hip. Her sex tightened in anticipation, her jaw going slack when he undid her shorts and slid his fingers into her panties. _Fuck._ Natsu grinned and his fangs lengthened in his mouth. Lucy pressed her body against the bars. Her need built as it had before. His mouth covered hers between the bars, taking in her gasp as his digits slid between her folds. Her legs were rubber and she grabbed the bars on either side of her to keep herself standing. His mouth set her ablaze, her body grind against his hand, and she only wanted more. Hotter. She needed to burn up in him. His thumb stroked her sensitive clit, and his mouth took her in a frenzy. She felt his fang glide against her tongue first. The split second of pain set in after, but it was the pleasure that overtook her. He slid his other hand behind her head, fingers in her hair, and pressed her lips harder against his. The copper taste of her own blood saturated her mouth. She felt his moan against her skin. His body pressed so tight. Her climax hit her like a freight train, her body not getting enough of the feeling, like no other experience before. Is this how intense it would always be with Natsu? His fingers worked inside her, stroking her favorite places, riding her out of her euphoria. Their kisses slowed—taking time to taste each other. Her eyes snapped open and she wrenched herself from his grasp. She had one of her hands around the opening of her shorts and the other against her lips. The copper flavor still provided her mouth. She was close to loathing but the look of Natsu, fucked out against the bars, stamped out the feeling. He had slumped against them with a dazed grin. His eyes still black as ink and cheeks flushed from taking her blood. The look was unsettling, but her body still begged for more. She felt out of control, and it scared her. She closed her shorts and wiped her mouth.

"The circle is ready!" Cana's cheerful voice sounded passed the dungeon door that Lucy hadn't heard open.

"I'll bring him up!" Lucy didn't recognize her own voice. The door clicked closed and Natsu stood straighter and adjusted his pants.

"How could you possibly want to keep us apart?" His voice was husky and delicious. She swallowed to rid her mouth of the taste of blood. Just like the battlefield, a mouth full of blood, chaotic, and wrong.

"How could I possibly not? You took my blood, Natsu. You didn't even ask. The idea of it is revolting."

"First, it was an accident. Second, it didn't feel like you found it revolting." Any attraction she had felt dissipated. The rage boiled to the surface.

"I can't stand you."

"Why? Because I'm a vampire? Lucy, if that's the only reason why you deny us, I think I can live with that."

"What are you talking about?"

"If anything, it proves to me that we're perfect. Fate picked us and I happen to agree with its decision. If it was my personality or something about the way I've treated you that you hated, I'd happily step away. But the only thing standing in my way is your feeling towards all vampires as if I'm just like every other leech you've ever met. That, Lucy, I can change your mind on." The dark green of his eyes returned, clear and bright. "Let's go summon a Forebearer, shall we?"

* * *

If what Lucy had to say was an attempt to scare Natsu away, it didn't work. In fact, he felt a pep in his step as she roughly escorted him to the living room. He'd barely contained himself down in the basement. The feeling of her coming apart in his hands sang like a song on repeat. Nothing could kill his mood now.

"You look happy," Erza said. Lucy tossed him to the floor. Magical cuffs linked his wrists together behind his back.

"I really am," he said. Lucy scowled at him and moved to a chair by the extinguished fireplace. Smart witches already knew he could manipulate fire. Not like the cuffs would allow him to do so.

"Let's just get this over with, Levy," Lucy said. The blue-haired witch frowned. The book in her hands appeared older than every immortal in the room. He couldn't tell what kind of skin made the leather of the cover. Pages stuck out from the binding, other objects like feathers and bones marked other pages. Two of the witches stood at the edge of the salt circle. One held a white candle covered in carved runes and sigils that matched the ones at their feet. They illuminated in the wax when the witches chanted in a language Natsu had never heard. The energy swirled throughout the room and seemed to pull to the middle of the circle. Levy, with tome in hand, glowed in ethereal light. Her hair hovered over her shoulders in a wind that no one else could feel. Witches were scary.

"I call to you," Levy said. As if the man had traced there himself, Gray Fullbuster appeared in the center of the circle with a look of horror and bewilderment across his face. Erza manifested her spear and pointed it toward the man's chest. His cool blue eyes scanned the room and fell on Natsu, on the floor with hands behind his back.

"What the fuck have you done now?" Gray said.

"Nice to see you too, Gray."

"It appears you two actually know each other," Erza said.

"Unfortunately," Natsu said. Gray shot him a dirty look and a rude hand gesture. Erza rolled her eyes.

"You were a part of the last Accession war?" she asked. Gray shook his head and took in the rest of the room. Knowing the Forebearer, he was coming up with an escape plan. _Poor bastard._ Instead of glaring at Natsu, he continued to eye the witch hiding behind her lit white candle.

"Natsu, what the hell is this all about? You know we were traveling through most of the Accession."

"They're looking for a Valkyrie named Mavis the Fairy Tactician. Ring a bell?" Natsu asked.

"Jellal spoke of her once when I joined their ranks at the end of the war. You remember, Natsu, that time you decided to join the Horde." Gray seethed at him. His hands held securely at his side wrapped into fists. The room turned to Natsu in the vicious way it did when everyone thought you were scum.

"Let's not forget, Gray, that you were once a human who agreed to convert to vampirism. I just had the misfortune of being born the way I am." This time, heads shot to the vampire held helpless in a summoning circle.

"Enough." Erza's word held power behind it that doused the room in silence.

"If you don't have information for me, who does? Who is Jellal?" Erza pointed the tip of her spear at Gray's heart. He stood unflinching as the blade pressed against the fabric of his white coat.

"If you are asking me to betray those closest to me, then you can just kill me here."

"Oh, please." Natsu adjusted himself on the floor, so the cuffs didn't dig into his skin. "Always so noble and shit. Just tell them Jellal is the leader of the Forebearers." Natsu sat on the couch behind him and wiggled with impatience. After the delicious taste of Lucy, he wanted to feed. Gray was just slowing everything down. His blue eyes blackened in rage. _Whatever._ Natsu would deal with it later.

"The leader?" Erza said.

"You bastard," Gray said.

"Where can we find Jellal?" Lucy stood from the chair and paced at the window. Just as antsy as he was. Natsu saw a glimpse of what taking her blood could be like. There was nothing like his bride against his lips. He wasn't sure if he could take anyone else and pictured Lucy falling apart in his arms again. As if reading his mind, she glanced in his direction.

"Like I'm going to tell you that." Gray sneered at Lucy and glanced between them.

"You will tell me where Jellal is." Erza flicked the spear up and ripped his coat along with the shirt beneath. A trickle of blood ran down his exposed chest. Juvia made a small sound and dropped the candle. Levy held out a hand just in time to write levitate in the air around the wax. The witch sighed.

"Can someone stand here and take this?" Levy said. Juvia shrank under her gaze and rushed out of the room. Gray's dark gaze followed her all the way up the stairs. _Interesting._ Lucy clutched the candle and took Juvia's place.

"Gray, they just want to ask about the Valkyrie. They're not going to invade." Natsu crossed his legs on the couch.

"I don't know them. It would be a betrayal," Gray said.

"Erza, why doesn't Gray go ask him and return here?" Natsu said.

"Shut it," Erza replied, "You aren't running this show, leech."

"What makes you think he'll ask him and just run back to us with information?" Lucy asked.

"One, you can just summon him back and kill him if he doesn't do as you ask. Two, I'll go with him to make sure the task is done," Natsu said. The room went into an uproar. Gray yapped about spending time with Natsu. Erza shook her head and insisted that she couldn't trust them. Natsu could barely hear Lucy over the noise, but he swore she insulted him.

"I agree with him," Cana said next to him on the couch. Her presence was so muted that Natsu hadn't noticed her there. The chaos ceased.

"What? You can't possibly believe this vampire?" Erza said.

"I have to agree with Erza on this," Lucy said.

"I also agree. I'm not going to travel around with this asshole again," Gray added. Erza glared at him.

"Lucky for us, you don't make decisions here," she said.

"Lucy has blooded Natsu. Why would he betray her? He'll be anywhere she is, and he doesn't like Gray enough to help him. I think it's a fine plan. We get information, he gets to prove to Lucy that he's trustworthy, Gray gets to not betray his own people, so that's a win-win-win." Cana nodded approving her own plan.

"I like you. Your name was Cana, right?" Natsu asked. The woman smirked and leaned toward him. Her eyes lit with mischief. She pushed some of his hair behind his ear.

"Whatever you want to call me, cutie."

"Stop being ridiculous, Cana." Lucy's eyes were swirling mercury fixed on Cana's touch. The woman beside him laughed and leaned against the armrest instead.

"Jealous?" Cana asked. Lucy's claws dug into the white wax in her hands.

"Enough!" Erza pressed her fingers to her forehead with a furrowed brow. Her spear disappearing from her hand. "Fine, Natsu will go with Gray to the Forebearer leader and report back." Lucy gave the candle to Erza and stride from the room. Cana patted him on the leg and stood to follow.

"No worries," she said, "I'll talk to her." He had no idea what she would talk to her about. Natsu stood before Levy.

"I'd like if you uncuffed me now," he said.

"You're lucky you're cute." Levy removed the cuffs from his wrists with a tiny key around her neck. "Don't worry about your friend."

"My friend?"

"Yeah, Gajeel. I'll take care of him." Her grin spread across her face in a way that reminded him of a shark. Black Steel was in for some trouble. He stood beside Gray in the circle. They sent them off without another word.

Both vampires lie on their backs looking up at the dark and cloudy sky. Snow came down in light flakes and melted against his skin.

"Where are we?" Natsu asked. Gray's coat and shirt flapped open in the wind, so he shed the garments and walked bare-chested through the snow.

"Russia."

"Oh, joy." Natsu stood and brushed off the snow sticking to his hair. "Let's go—" His words cut off by Gray's fist in his face. The things he'd do for Lucy.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. It means a lot to me. Making up for the time with a longer chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

_I'm trying to help you find our family! What was that in the basement about trusting me with your life? I want to help him help us!_

-Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

_I'm under the firm belief that I'm in charge of my own destiny._

-Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

* * *

"Okay, I may have deserved that." Natsu's hand pressed against his bleeding nose. Gray's eyes were dark with rage. He had his hands around his waistband as if he wanted to remove his pants. If Natsu didn't know that Gray stripped before a fight as an unconscious habit, the action would have appeared lewd. "Just keep your pants on, please."

"You deserve more than that, but I need you. You'll live for now."

"How soft hearted of you," Natsu said. Gray sneered and moved forward. The snow had piled up and made it hard to trudge through. The old pale castle stood proud surrounded by the vast white blanket.

"What's the deal with you and that blond Valkyrie?" Gray's curiosity slipped in his tone.

"I know you're anxious to get your hands on me, Gray. But alas, I am loyal to one." Natsu squashed down the nerves that rose at Lucy's absence, but she was safe with the other Valkyrie. Gray paused in the snow.

"_You_ found your bride?" Gray threw the words at him like an accusation.

"Don't be jealous. I'm sure there's a great woman or man out there for you too. Until then, why not snuggle up with that little witch you had your eyes on?" Natsu wiped the blood above his lips. Snuggling was all an un-blooded vampire could do anyway. Gray's eyes widened at Natsu's suggestion. _Bullseye. _He knew there was interest in the witch. He'd save that information for another time.

"I hate you." Gray continued forward and refused to speak to him until they reached the castle doors. The snow had piled in front of the large entry. Instead of knocking, Gray moved to the far side of the door to a black panel. He pressed a finger against a button and waited.

"State your name and business," a voice said from the speaker.

"That's some tech for such an old place. I'm sure it was a bitch to install electricity," Natsu said. Gray narrowed his eyes at Natsu.

"This is General Fullbuster. I need to speak to Master Fernandes," Gray said into the com.

"Master? Wow," Natsu mouthed.

"Who is with you?" the voice asked.

"A recruit," Gray said. Natsu followed his gaze up to a camera above the panel. He waved at it and posed for the gatekeeper— to Gray's dismay. A loud click came from the door in reply. Gray pushed past him and entered the front room lit with electric wall fixtures. Natsu whistled low at the grandeur of the interior. The Forebearer castle just as ancient and boring as the Horde's dark fortress.

"Does Jellal own all this? Rich man. We could make a financial agreement for information. How about that for a plan?" Natsu nudged Gray with his shoulder. "Take the money and run am I right?"

"At least show a little respect. Aren't you afraid since you're in the castle of your enemy?" Gray asked.

"The Forebearers aren't _my_ enemy. That's all the Horde's business," Natsu said.

"You have no sense of loyalty." Gray led Natsu up the grand staircase, because of course there was one of those, and to an ornate door. He knocked lightly on the filigree that swirled across the wood surface.

"Come in," a man's voice called from inside. The room was a spacious study. Books lined the walls that came to a point at a grandiose wooden desk. Bears and wolves carved into the rich brown oak. A man stood behind it wearing a white jacket like the one Gray discarded in the snow. His back turned to them and he stared down a tall window that overlooked the grounds.

"We shouldn't punch our guests, Gray." His dark blue hair stuck out at different angles. When he turned, Natsu noticed a crimson tattoo stretched down his cheek. Muscles in Gray's jaw contracted, but he only nodded to his commander.

"Wow, you give me snide comebacks all the time. As soon as _master_ chews you out, you're silent?" Natsu said.

"Welcome, Natsu Dragneel." The man regarded them with a smile. There was power behind that cool voice— a similar sense of power he'd felt when speaking to Zeref. "I'm Jellal Fernandes. What brings you here?"

"Tell him." Gray gestured toward Jellal with impatience.

"Long story short, I need to find a Valkyrie named Mavis the Fairy Tactician." Natsu flopped into one of the many leather armchairs. His body bounced on the plush cushion. Jellal's gaze trailed Natsu. If the name was any significance to him, he didn't show it on his face. The man was a true diplomat.

"Why does a Horde vampire want to know where a Valkyrie is?" Jellal sat at the desk and leaned back into his own leather chair. His eyes pierced through Natsu. How much did he feel like revealing? Gray stood like a statue with his arms crossed. Natsu was on his own. The first time he'd felt intimidated in enemy territory.

"The Valkyrie sent me and Gray here to ask you that question. They suspect the Black Wizard has her." Natsu picked at some chipped gold paint on the armrest. When Jellal regarded Gray, he nodded in confirmation.

"Wouldn't you know better than any of us? He is your brother." Jellal didn't sound accusing, in fact, he sat back in his chair with his elbow upon the armrest and cheek resting in his palm. His demeanor was as calm as it was when they first entered the study. Natsu suspected it was all for show.

"Zeref and I aren't exactly close."

"In that case, I think we can help each other."

"My thoughts exactly." Natsu leaned forward in the chair.

"You're not seriously going to help him," Gray said. Jellal shot him a sharp look.

"I happen to know that we have a common enemy. I'm willing to work with the enemy of my enemy."

"You were in the last Accession war," Natsu said.

"I was."

"You must know what happened to the Valkyrie."

"You can't just ask for information without coming to some deal!" Gray's entire body rippled with tension and eyes darkened. His composure, that he worked so hard to keep up, fell apart in front of them.

"Leave us, Gray." Jellal's voice was a silky threat.

"I can't leave you with—"

"That will be all, Fullbuster." Jellal pointed to the door. Gray clenched his fists at his sides and traced from the room. "I met her on the battlefield, but we didn't fight. What the Fairy Tactician lacked in fighting ability she made up for in intelligence."

"Did you kill her?"

"No, Zeref took her." And there was the truth that he already knew.

"What happened, Jellal?" Natsu asked. Jellal raised a brow.

"Few people address me by my first name."

"What happened?" Natsu's body went still. He had no time for word circles and pleasantries. He was no politician.

"I was in the middle of destroying Horde vampires and a few of their demon allies. The Black Wizard traced to the Valkyrie's camp there. We Forebearers weren't exactly allies with the Valkyrie, but we weren't enemies either. Made sure to steer clear."

"Did he kill her?"

"You believe a mere vampire could kill a Valkyrie so easily? Even Zeref would have had a time with the task. No, I believe he took her with him. They argued on the battlefield. He overpowered her and took her under his arm. Never saw her again."

"What would they have to argue about?" None of it made sense to Natsu. If Zeref wanted to kill his enemy, he would have. Why go through the trouble to abduct her, and then never say anything to anyone about it? Something was off.

"You ask the same questions I have. I can't allow Zeref to have what he wants. As his brother, you know better than I do that the Horde king wants to see the world burn." That's where Natsu disagreed with him. Zeref appeared a vampire on a mission, a mission that was slowly eating away at him, physically and mentally. He felt purpose, not a blind animalistic need to kill. "I have told you all I know about the Fairy Tactician. I hope it is some help to the Valkyrie. Now, it is my turn to ask questions." Jellal lay his hands flat on the desktop. His eyes bore into him like blades. This was what the Forebearer leader wanted— an audience with him. "Why stay with the Horde if you have no allegiances to them?"

"Gray didn't fill you in?"

"He says you're a fool."

"What do you think?"

"I think you have more intelligence than you allow others to see. I think you have some greater plan."

"I'll always take a compliment, but I have to admit I don't have an agenda." Natsu stretched in the chair and pulled his legs over one armrest. "We don't have to straddle the fence here, Jellal. You've had Gray hound me for years. You want me in your ranks."

"The Accession is upon us. These are dangerous times, Salamander. We must all pick sides in the end. Why stand by the side of someone, who will fall, who you have no allegiance to?"

"We all know the Forebearers are weak without a full-blooded vampire in their ranks. That's the only reason you want me. Are you suggesting I show allegiance to you?"

"Allegiance to the cause, the collective, not just me. We want you because I believe you're stronger than Zeref." His words hung in the air like a thick fog. Natsu sat straight in his armchair. Jellal's gaze remained unwavering.

"What makes you think that?" Natsu asked. Jellal's words, not something he expected to hear, nor did he agree.

"You have empathy for others, even if you'd like Gray to believe otherwise." Jellal pointed to his own frozen heart. "I also happen to know you've been blooded, and it adds to your strength." Natsu's blood ran cold in his rejuvenated veins. Every blooded vampire had one weakness, and Jellal knew his. Would he use that to his advantage? Take what was Natsu's to ensure his loyalty?

"Are you threatening me?" When he and Gray had entered the study, he'd discovered two exits counting the secret one behind one of the bookshelves. He scented the dusty air from the next room. He could tear out Jellal's heart and jump out the fucking window if he had to. No one would lay a hand on him or his bride. If he died here, she'd be in danger. That outcome was unacceptable.

"So, it's true what they say about blooded vampires. I can feel your power from here, but don't fear. I don't plan on hurting you or your new bride." Jellal held his hands up in front of him. "In fact, you'd both be an asset."

"If I don't want a part of your forbearing, then you'd do what? Leave me be?" The possible threat he was under made it hard to concentrate on anything but cutting Jellal's throat out. He was sure his eyes were as dark as Gray's were upon leaving the room.

"All I ask is that we help each other to stop Zeref from getting whatever it is he's looking for. I'm not threatening you, Natsu."

"You know he's looking for something?" Natsu had barely figured it out himself, and he was around Zeref a considerable amount compared to the Forebearers.

"I have friends in low places to keep an eye on him. So, what will it be?" Jellal sat with his hands clasped on the desktop. Taking advantage of expedient situations was what Jellal was all about. Not a bad way to live.

"On two conditions. My bride and I have full protection from the Forebearers, and you tell me everything you know about that lead on Igneel's whereabouts."

"Now we're negotiating." Jellal grinned and stood to walk around his desk. Natsu stood as well, ready to take him on if necessary. "It's a deal."

"What?" Having everything fall into his lap so easily was not how Natsu expected this conversation to go. Had he missed something?

"If you work with us, you will have your protection and information."

"I will have the freedom to come and go, to make my own decisions, and you'll tell me about Igneel? All that just for helping you with whatever it is Zeref is planning?"

"Correct."

"Swear on it," Natsu said. Jellal raised a brow but nodded. Swearing to the Lore was the only true way to keep your promises. Whoever breaks a vow to the Lore, is at the mercy of the merciless gods. Some die a brutal death. Others found their fates toyed with, touched by deities. He'd heard whispers of curses and plague. Whatever happened when one broke a vow to the Lore, it wasn't good, and everyone knew it.

"I swear to the Lore that the Forebearers will protect you and your bride, and we will divulge all that we know about Igneel, so long as you aid us in finding what Zeref is looking for." Jellal's voice firm in his vow.

"Are you not powerful enough to find what Zeref wants yourself?"

"You're just asking that now?" Jellal said. "Gray, you can come in. I know you've been listening at the door." The door to the study pushed open. Gray stood before Jellal and ignored Natsu's presence.

"Don't be sad, Gray. Now we'll be able to spend more time together." Natsu patted him on the back and felt his muscles bunch beneath his touch.

"We are done here. I hope to see you soon, Natsu." Jellal bowed and traced from the room. Gray grabbed the front of Natsu's shirt roughly and traced them away.

* * *

"Go away, Cana." The last woman in the world Lucy wanted a discussion with knocked at the door to Levy's abandoned room. One of the witches had conjured it to look like a guest room. The walls were a dusty gray, the furniture was light wood, and the bedspread and adornments throughout the room were a trendy Himalayan pink. The room aesthetically unlike any other part of the house. After going through Levy's dungeon, she guessed there would be no rooms alike after the witch got her hands on them. She lay on the bed with her hair fanned out beneath her. One of her arms draped over her face, which muffled her voice.

"I have no idea what you just said." Cana closed the door behind her and sat at the chair to a dainty vanity. "Wow, this room looks different."

"What do you want?" Now that Cana let herself into the room, there was no removing her.

"You're really hard on the poor vampire." There was a clatter of perfumes falling over on the vanity surface. Lucy sat up and leaned on her elbows.

"The _poor _vampire? Do you hear yourself?" Cana didn't even attempt to right the little glass bottles and opened the drawer to fiddle with the makeup inside.

"He's not so bad. Different than those other vampires we've seen. Isn't raving mad with bloodlust and such." This conversation was the most lucid Lucy had ever heard from Cana.

"Do you like him or something?" Lucy couldn't stop the feelings that bubbled at the pit of her stomach. The image of Cana's hands all over him invaded like a virus. She squashed the reaction down and attempted a passive attitude about anything to do with Natsu.

"And what if I did?" Cana grinned and locked eyes with Lucy.

"Then you can have him." Even to her own ears, her voice sounded uncertain of that. Cana laughed and uncapped a tube of lipstick. The dark bullet twisted to the top in a lethal deep red. She leaned against the vanity to look closer into the mirror and applied the shade. The color matched her skin tone perfectly. Her long wavy brown hair brushed against the surface of the vanity. At that moment, Cana was a painting from the renaissance. Was this the type of woman Natsu liked? Now, the sickening jealously simmered at the surface. Cana flashed her a knowing look through the mirror and tilted it so that Lucy could see her own face. Her once warm gaze was a turbulent swirling silver.

"I don't think you believe that." Cana stood from the vanity, kept the mirror facing Lucy, and chucked the closed tube of lipstick into her pocket. A new lipstick appeared where Cana had taken the other. "And no, Lucy, I don't. He's all yours." She left the room with the door closed behind her. Lucy couldn't take her eyes off herself. She really did care for the damn vampire. How, in such a brief time, had she formed any kind of attachment to him? Was fate forcing her hand? She knew her body responded to him. He was highly attractive and anything but boring. One thing she knew, she didn't love him. Their relationship never passed physical. Lucy left the room and entered Levy's library. Was she hiding away from the mirror? She sat at Levy's plush armchair and opened a book that had draped across the armrest. Diverting her thoughts with its pages didn't have the effect she searched for, but it did occupy her time.

The once stillness of the coven house burst into a chaotic sound that flowed up from downstairs. Erza's was the loudest voice. The vampires had returned, and Cana's words replayed in her head. Lucy slumped in the chair and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Her heart slowed in her chest from the peak of envy that Cana elicited from her. She couldn't show her face when she looked as crazy as she did in that mirror. _Damn you, Cana. _She stood anyway and placed the book where she had found it. Her feet took her down the stairs toward the noise.

"What do you mean he wants to help us?" Erza had her hands in fists against her shapely hips. Both men stood in the summoning circle. Gray appeared just as peeved as Erza and wore his ever-present scowl. Natsu had fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose.

"I thought you'd be happy to have more support," Natsu said. Their aggression made their voices rise.

"Can we not yell? The energy in here is going to make me nauseous." Lucy stood at the end of the stairs leaning against the newel. Natsu's hand dropped as soon as he heard her voice. This time, she didn't attempt to shut out her heart jumping at his attention. There was a streak of blood wiped from his upper lip, his hair dripped against his shoulder, and snow melted against his wet boots. He was a mess yet remained as gorgeous as the first time she had seen him.

"I can't just believe him," Erza said.

"Are you calling him a liar?" Gray asked.

"Aw I didn't know you trusted me, Gray," Natsu said.

"I didn't mean you, asshole. I meant Jellal." The grin on Natsu's face suggested he already knew.

"I need confirmation from Zeref himself." The room stilled at Erza's words.

"No." Natsu shook off the rest of the snow, which flung on Gray, who protested. A slow hiss of steam came off his unnaturally heated skin.

"Excuse me?" Erza said.

"You want me to risk Zeref knowing about Lucy." Natsu ran his fingers through his hair to fluff it up. "I can't do that."

"How else are you supposed to find out if Jellal is telling the truth?" Erza asked.

"Jellal isn't a liar," Gray said.

"I actually agree with icicle butt." Natsu pointed his thumb in Gray's direction. "And I hate agreeing with him."

"What makes you so sure?" Lucy asked.

"The Forebearers have wanted me on their side since I joined the Horde," Natsu said.

"There would be a better balance of power," Erza agreed. She had a finger pressed against her lips in thought. "That doesn't change that you need to speak to Zeref to find out what he has done with her."

"What makes you think the Forebearers are so weak that we _need_ him?" Gray asked. His temper appearing to rise with each comment.

"Forebearers are nothing but mortals playing with immortality." Erza's eyes flashed wicked silver. Gray stepped toward Erza with malice in his gaze and a hand at his waistband.

"What would you know about—" Gray began.

"If I have to go to Zeref, at least let me go alone." Natsu's eyes were firmly on Lucy as if asking for her permission to risk his life against the Horde king.

"There is no way I can trust you to go alone." Erza manifested a dagger, her eyes challenging Gray. Lucy tried to see things from Natsu's point of view. Arguing would interfere in gaining a single thing from this conversation. He knew it. If he went alone, he could avoid bringing Lucy up. He could ask his questions and return with information as he did with the Forebearer leader. Zeref wouldn't question him alone but accompanied by a Forebearer or Valkyrie would peak his suspicion. She knew his resolve as soon as she met his gaze, yet she felt uncertain with herself. As repulsed as she was by the idea that this vampire wanted to protect her, she still felt the pang in her heart over his prodigious concern.

"I'm not going with him," Gray protested, "Unlike the Forebearers, who see reason, the Horde wouldn't hesitate to kill me on sight. Animals."

"Just say yes and I'll be gone." Natsu remained where he was with eyes on her. He ignored the other comments. The only person in this room who could tell him what to do was Lucy. He gave her this power. The control she felt she had lost down in the dungeons came rushing back. He said he'd prove to her he was different. So far, she could say he kept that promise. He returned with information from Jellal, as he said he would, and continued to help the Valkyrie look for Mavis—for nothing but her hand.

"Go then and don't die," she said. The grin he gave her could light up a city. He saluted the rest of the room and traced out of existence. Everyone stood silenced.

"Well, that was entertaining," Cana said from the couch.

* * *

Natsu stood in the darkened study of the Horde castle. The fireplace no longer lit, and the chairs moved from the hearth. The door stood ajar to the long dark hallway. The old-world embellishments lined the hall as much as the study room. Paintings of monsters framed in gold. Bust statues of Horde throughout time. The only sounds in the castle halls were the windows, which took a beating from the harsh wind outside. Where was everybody? Not even a servant rushed down the desolate halls. No lamps lit the space. He relied on his keen vision in the dark, a useful vampire trait. He trotted down the grand staircase as silent and cold as the rest of the rooms. There was a sound from the door beneath the stairs. The same door that made its way to the massive catacombs that winded beneath the castle. When Natsu lived here, he avoided these lower rooms as much as possible. A layer of magic surrounded them and set his nerves on edge. He much preferred the higher places as it was. He was happy to be here alone. Gray would have traced out immediately, and he hoped Lucy never had to see this part of his life. The pure-blood vampires did not share his taste of life and color. He was out to prove to her that he was different from them.

The lower he went down the stairs to the catacombs, the colder the air became. The floors here were a matted layer of dust except the path made by recent shoes. He shivered. The hall widened out to more crumbling stone. The dark cast eerie shadows against the walls. Natsu almost tripped over some debris that had come loose from the ancient ceiling. He passed empty alcoves carved out of the stone walls that once held tombs. The witch would love it here. The whole place reminded Natsu of the dungeons below the coven house. He heard a faint dripping from farther down the tunnels. The shuffling of feet followed, but he couldn't tell from where the sound came from. Natsu turned to see if someone followed him down, but he sensed no one else with him. They said the dead walked the Horde catacombs, enemies, and allies, but Natsu never believed these stories. A muffled voice arose from down a tunnel at his right. He couldn't make out what they said, but a small voice replied. He followed the sound and came to a door with soft light emanating from where the door lifted off the ground. The entrance opened a crack and a small face peered out at him. The girl was short with long vibrant blue hair. Her large eyes studied him from the room.

"Let him in." Zeref's voice was weaker than Natsu remembered. The door opened wider to allow Natsu in and revealed a small room lit by a torch on the wall. The girl sat at a round wooden table where Zeref sat. The warm light lit her face and cast sinister shadows across her delicate features.

"Are we summoning the devil in here?" Natsu asked, "Maybe turn on a light?" Zeref glared at him but didn't remark.

"Continue." Zeref swept his hand over her pile of sticks, stones, and bones scattered across the aged wooden surface. As much as the environment, the creepy girl, and Zeref's ever crumbling composure put Natsu on edge, it was the deep sigh that passed through Zeref's lips that chilled him the most.

"You're blooded," Natsu said. How long had he been so? Who blooded him? His eyes snapped to the girl in front of him. Too young.

"You finally noticed. Sit down please, Natsu." Natsu followed his orders, as he felt too disturbed to argue. From his angle, the shadows made out Zeref's sallow cheeks and dark rimmed eyes. Was he still wearing the same clothes as yesterday?

"Don't look at me like that." Zeref hadn't turned his head. He leaned into the palm of his hand with his elbow propped up on the table. The exhaustion settled into his features and creases in his wrinkled clothes. Natsu glanced at the girl who gazed at her pile of bones. "This is Wendy the Wind Seer, my oracle." She gazed in Natsu's direction, but her mind was far away. She didn't reply right away. In the silence, Natsu heard the dripping water again.

"We've met before." Wendy's voice was light and feminine. Her frame was small in the wooden chair she sat in. How old was she?

"I highly doubt that. No offense, but I would have remembered you." Natsu pushed his chair back and kicked his feet up on the table. Zeref shot him another glare. "What's going on, Zeref? Where is everyone and why are we in the catacombs?" Wendy picked up the items from the table and threw them back down, so they rolled and rattled across the wood.

"I thought you would have already figured it out by now." Zeref lifted one of the bones that had rolled next to his hand.

"All I know is that you're looking for something." Natsu laid his hands against his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Zeref's hair had grown so long that when a dark strand fell into his eyes, he tucked it behind his ear. He observed him for a minute and eyed Wendy.

"I still can't see you with my sight, Natsu," she said.

"What does that even mean?" Natsu asked.

"Could mean many things." Wendy pointed to two stones that had landed next to each other. "Your destiny is changing too rapidly to track, or you will die by mystical circumstances that block my sight."

"Probably the former. I'm under the firm belief that I'm in charge of my destiny." Natsu rocked back in the chair so that it balanced on its two back legs.

"I'm thinking it's the latter," Zeref said. His eyes wearily took in the objects on the table.

"Glass half empty much?" Natsu retorted.

"Why are you here, Natsu?" Zeref asked. Natsu observed as Wendy did another toss of her stones. Each one carved and painted with runes. The same pair as last time came together in front of them.

"Interesting," Wendy said.

"Let's get to the point. Where is Mavis the Fairy Tactician?" Natsu kept his posture casual, but his muscles tensed.

"I told you that you'd figure it out." If Zeref felt bothered by this question, he didn't allow it to show. "She's in Dacia." The chair creaked when its legs met the ground again. Natsu glanced between the two of them and laughed. _What a joke._ Dacia was a fairy tale told to young vampires as bedtime stories. A land ever moving and shrouded in mist. Dacian vampires lived there in peace. No wars reached its walls and no sun cast through the misty clouds during the day. A vampire paradise. The tales spoke of a mystical castle and fountains that ran red with blood. Zeref might as well have told Natsu that Mavis was in Narnia.

"That's funny. But really, where is she?" Natsu didn't miss the way Zeref's jaw tensed and his hands gripped into fists.

"You think I would joke about where my bride is?" Zeref glared at Natsu with eyes glowing red.

"Your what?"

"Mavis is my bride." He appeared irritated talking about this. "Dacia, as you know, is constantly moving. Once you enter its barrier, you can't leave without the cloak of mist. If one were to escape from its city walls, an assassin would dispatch. Because no one is to know the true location of the kingdom, all must die if they leave."

"Huh, so you are serious." Natsu had to believe so since Zeref didn't show discomfort from a lie. His mouth would burn as if the sun had scorched his skin. Yet, the only discomfort appeared in his impatience with the conversation.

"Sometimes, Natsu, I wonder how we are related at all."

"Same actually." Hearing Zeref this frazzled and speaking so frankly to Natsu put him on edge. Had he fallen into a bizarre dimension where he and Zeref could be this casual around each other?

"I had originally sent the Minstrel out to search for a lead, but you already know how that ended," Zeref said. His words explained what Gajeel knew. Natsu held back the question at the tip of his tongue. What did Zeref think to find out from Ultear the Queen of Time? If he brought her up, Zeref would know he was looking into him behind his back. Natsu would keep some information to himself. For Lucy's safety.

"So, what does the oracle have to do with it?" he asked instead.

"My name is Wendy, not oracle, and I'm sitting right here."

"Tomato, potato, doesn't matter as long as you answer to both." Natsu shrugged and eyed the stones that came together again. "What's going on there?" He pointed to them.

"Another is linked to your destiny." He regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. He feared to see Zeref's reaction. Would he know he found his bride?

"I need you to help me find her, Natsu." Zeref eyed him like a jungle cat. A chill ran up Natsu's spine. Was he not going to ask him?

"Why would I?" Gods, was he going to ask him about Lucy?

"Whoever has her is planning to use her for something that could destroy us all."

"Dacia is moving again," Wendy said. Her eyes glowed as she stared down at one of the bones. Her head tilted to one side, eyeing it like prey. The dripping down the tunnels was louder in his ears. Or was that his heart? He hadn't had enough time with it to tell the difference.

"Where?" Zeref's attention snapped to Wendy as if he revered her. Her words leading to his salvation, his bride. What would it be like so far away from his bride? What would he do if the Valkyrie did not protect Lucy? If someone had taken her from him? His blood seared at the thought. He took in Zeref's posture again. He leaned into the table, both palms placed on the cracking wood, his claws digging into the grain. His eyes a crazed obsidian in the dim catacombs. He was losing his mind looking for her. For once since their first meeting, Natsu felt a pang of sympathy for his brother.

"The image is fractured between dimensions," Wendy said.

"Which ones?" Zeref's tone rose.

"Gaia and—" She cut off her own words. Her mouth shut in a grim line. Natsu realized the glow in her eyes was a turbulent smoke that swirled within.

"What dimension?" Zeref had come to his feet. The craze in his voice forced Natsu to still. Power emanated off him in waves.

"Pandemonia." Wendy trembled in her chair and didn't raise her eyes to meet Zeref. His jaw clenched; a vein protruded from his skin. What little thread of his sanity he had held on to had snapped. He took the table in his grasp. Wood splintered and tore beneath his grip, and he flipped the table over with a roar. The objects the oracle had used to search for Mavis flew into the air and smashed to the ground. A few of the bones fractured against the ancient stone walls. He breathed heavily with hands at his temples. Natsu's heart raced, but he worked to keep his breathing even enough that no one would notice that air left his lips.

"Nice, brother, now we have to buy a new table." Natsu slouched in his chair trying to appear calm. Zeref allowed his hands to fall to his sides.

"These emotions are so tiresome."

"Look, you now have two leads to where she is. Just check both?" Natsu said. Zeref tilted his head back and closed his eyes. A long unsteady breath left his mouth.

"Pandemonia is a hell dimension, Natsu."

"So?"

"Hell dimensions move faster than Gaia. If done incorrectly, one could be torn to shreds trying to get there," Wendy said. "None of us have been there before. It's untraceable."

"We don't have the time to look in both places anyway," Zeref added.

"Not to mention, leaving a hell dimension is harder than entering one," Wendy continued. Zeref groaned.

"Bummer. Well, I guess I'll be going." Natsu didn't want to spend any more time here than he had to. He got all the information he needed, and as sorry as he felt for Zeref, his bride came first now. He stood and brushed off the wood shavings that had clung to his clothes.

"Natsu." Zeref's eyes were a clear deep green and compelling. The green that confirmed their relation. The green of their family line, their blood bond. "Please." The sound that came out of the man before him was pitiful. Zeref had never been this vulnerable in front of him.

"Why is there no one in the castle?" Natsu hadn't pushed for the answer before but it gnawed at him now.

"The Dacians know I'm looking for her. They've been sending mist assassins. I couldn't allow Horde deaths over this." The raw truth struck Natsu.

"Why do you care?"

"I care." Zeref held his hand clenched to his chest, his clothes creasing beneath his grasp. "I care so much it's eating away at me." His brows came together in what looked like pain. From a lie? _No. _He wasn't lying. He was simply hurting. Natsu's own fresh emotions rose to the forefront. After centuries of a desolate existence. No emotion. No pain. He'd been hollow before her. This was a gift, but now it was a curse. He pained for his brother, whether he wanted to or not. His heart gave him away. What had Jellal said? _You have empathy for others._ He thought this before Natsu's blooding, and before he could feel. Really feel. It burned worse than the scorching pain of a lie on his tongue.

"I'll find her," Natsu said. Zeref's face softened in benevolence he'd never seen from his brother. "I can get to Pandemonia."

"How?"

"I've walked dimensions before." _Is that your tagline? _She'd asked him. _Natsu the Dimension Walker. _Just as he'd told her. Igneel posed it as a challenge, and Natsu always stepped up to challenges.

"There's no guarantee you'll be able to get back, even if you wanted to." He wasn't wrong, but Natsu would find a way. The Valkyrie would do anything to get their sister back, and Zeref would do anything for his bride. They would find a way to get him out if they had to. What was he going to do if he did find Mavis there? Would he hand her over to her family, or the brother who would tear the world down for her? A problem for later.

"I'll find a way." How much he missed Lucy hit him like a wall. "For now, I have to go." Zeref nodded and eyed the crumbled table on the floor. Wendy sat with her legs pulled up in her chair. The king of the Horde held out a hand to her.

"I apologize for my outburst." Her eyes widened at his apology. The vampire before him, the vicious king who had committed so many atrocities, showed a kindness that surprised Natsu. He took that moment to turn to the door to leave the catacombs and trace back to Lucy. "Before I forget, have you found the Minstrel's killer?" Zeref asked. Natsu's hand hovered over the door.

"I had someone look into it." Natsu's gaze remained on the exit. It wasn't a lie. Gajeel was the one who discovered Lucy was the killer, not him. This answer satisfied Zeref.

"For now, focus on Pandemonia. We will find the murderer in time. No one can kill one of our own and live."

"Whatever you say. Just one less thing for me to worry about." Natsu worked to keep his voice steady. Zeref didn't know who killed the Minstrel. For now, that was good enough.

"Oh, and Natsu, tell your bride I wish her well." His fingers shook against the doorknob. Of course, Zeref knew he had a bride. His heart quickened, too loud to have hidden, too full to have fooled his own brother. His emotions laid bare even before the Forebearer leader. He turned the knob and closed the door behind him. He prayed Zeref would never find out that his bride and the murderer was the same.

* * *

Lucy sat on the last step of the coven's staircase with her legs pulled to her chest, and her forehead pressed against her knees. Erza hadn't spoken to her since she'd ordered Natsu to go. She spent her time waiting for him to return on the porch. Cana merely patted her on the back and said she had to go. Lucy supposed that was her way of comforting her. Gray sat inside the summoning circle that he found he physically couldn't leave. The room was silent with only the two of them.

"You shouldn't trust him," Gray said. She turned her head, so she leaned on her cheek, sure there was a red mark on her forehead.

"What makes you think I can trust you?" she asked. This vampire was the opposite of Natsu in every way. From his dark hair to his righteous attitude.

"What reasons do I have to lie to you?"

"You hate Natsu."

"What do you really know about him?"

"I know he's kept his word so far."

"Ah, but how long will that last? He's never been known to stay anywhere. Always about no commitments and looking for his father." His father? Was that who he was looking for? He'd said he was looking for someone important to him. Whatever reaction she had; Gray noticed. "Oh, he didn't tell you about his father. Not surprised."

"What do you know?" Lucy sat up at attention. What did he know about Natsu? The image from the book of Lore flashed through her mind. Gray shrugged and glanced out the window to Erza's back.

"He wasn't lying then," she said. Gray raised a brow. "About the Forebearers wanting him on their side. You were using this information against him. That's why you won't tell me."

"He'd do anything for his father. He'd dump you in the nearest ditch if it meant he would see his father again."

"How do you even know—"

"He told me he was looking for someone. I investigated it myself after he joined the Horde. His father abandoned him. Poor bastard. Looked for him like a lost puppy before I found him."

"He has no other family?"

"Other than Zeref? No. I don't blame him for not caring about the Black Wizard." Gray spit into the fireplace at the sound of his tagline on his lips. His face scrunched in disgust. "Bastard is responsible for a lot of Forebearer deaths."

"Doesn't Zeref care that their father is missing?" Lucy asked. Gray laughed darkly.

"Igneel is not Natsu's birth father. He adopted him." Gray's tone made it sound like Natsu's adoption was a dirty secret, but Lucy didn't feel that way. It was no different from her relationship with her own sisters. Other than the gods, they didn't share the same mothers. Yet they still called each other family. Now she knew his father's name was Igneel. The name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she'd heard it before.

"Well, he's working for the Forebearer's now. Aren't you going to tell him what you know?"

"He has to complete his end of the deal."

"What deal?" The door to the basement opened and shut. Levy couldn't be alone as there were too many footsteps. Gray stood, his eyes turned a pitch-black, his fangs sharpened, and their conversation left forgotten.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Gray said. An edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

"He's with Natsu. Chill, leech," Levy said at the threshold between the living room and the stairs. Behind her was the vampire who traveled with Natsu.

"Natsu would travel with another murderer." Gray stood with hands pressed to the invisible barrier around the circle. "You're lucky this barrier is here, witch."

"That a threat?" Gajeel said. Lucy couldn't see his face from where she sat, but she could hear the anger in his voice. He was protecting Levy. What went on in the basement? Levy turned her gaze to Lucy. Her eyes lit with excitement. She left Gajeel where he stood and sat beside her.

"You okay, Lu?" she asked. The cheerful note gave her away.

"You were that thirsty, huh?" Lucy said. Levy laughed and took her hand in her smaller ones. She trailed the creases of her palm with her index finger absent-mindedly.

"If you're thinking of a specific murder, I probably won't remember," Gajeel said.

"Lyon Vastia, you bastard. You killed a Forebearer!" Gray seethed in the circle, pacing as much as the space allowed. His hand gripping his pants. What was that about?

"Name doesn't ring a bell," Gajeel said.

"During the last Accession!"

"Nope, still nothing." Gajeel and Gray barked at each other loud enough to gather Erza's attention. She marched into the living room in full armor.

"Explain, witch!" Erza pointed her spear at Gajeel's throat. Levy waved her hand in nonchalance.

"He's under my protection, Valkyrie. He won't do anything, I promise," Levy said. She did a double take to Lucy's palm. Erza remained deathly still. The continued tension in the house wore Lucy down. She just wanted to go back to Val Hall and hide in her bed for a few days.

"Lucy, when was the last time I read your palm?" Levy asked.

"I don't know. A year ago?"

"Your lifeline forks and breaks here." Levy lifted her other hand and stared down at it. Gajeel, as if feeling her absence came to stand behind her and leaned over to see Lucy's palm too. "They both do."

"Levy, in plain words, please?" Lucy said.

"Your destiny splits, changes, and in a horrible way."

"How is it different from the last time you read it?"

"Anatomy doesn't just change randomly, shrimp," Gajeel said. He peered at Lucy's hand with interest.

"Is anyone listening to me?" Erza sounded as though a blood vessel was about to pop. Lucy leaned to look around Gajeel's frame that obstructed her view.

"I'm listening, Erza," Lucy offered.

"Being ignored doesn't feel good does it?" Gray said.

"I wouldn't test her, Gray," Lucy said.

"I feel like everyone has tested me today," Erza grumbled.

"You want tea or something? Take a seat on the couch. Loosen up, Erza," Levy said drawing in the air with her fingers. The words cup and tea appeared and transformed into their meanings. The levitating steaming cup of tea floated over to Erza, which she took with a shocked expression. To Lucy's surprise, the fierce Valkyrie took the cup and sat on the couch. "You're in the house of the witches, which favors us. If you wish to destroy something, or kill someone, you might as well leave." She stood with hands on her hips. "That goes for every one of you."

"I like a witch in charge," Gajeel said. His shark grin spread across his face. The little witch looked up at him with a bigger smirk.

"I'm going to hurl," Gray said. Levy glared at him but chose to sit beside Lucy again.

"Immortals are special," Levy said, taking Lucy's hand. "Why can't their palm readings change?"

"Stop struggling, you fool." Erza watched Gray fight to break free and sipped her tea. Who knew, all she needed was a firm hand to tell her to calm down for her to do so. Lucy gathered Erza didn't want to break the relationship they had with the house of witches.

"Where's Natsu?" Gajeel peered around the room. "I'm used to his loudmouth. And I hate to admit it, but I'd rather hear him than this creep." He pointed to Gray.

"I sent him to speak to Zeref," she said. Gajeel's face fell.

"You did what? Do you have any idea what you've done?" His voice like a blade against her own restless heart.

"Gajeel, do you need a cup of tea too?" Levy gave him a sharp look and held Lucy's hand tighter.

"It was the only way to get Erza to trust him. He knew that. We have to know where Mavis is, and the only one who knows that is Zeref." Lucy could rationalize it out loud for herself all she wanted, but the tightness in her chest would stay. Where was he? As if she summoned him, he appeared in front of her. The room went still. Natsu took in everyone's startled faces.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" His tone was light and playful, but she knew something wasn't right. His eyes traveled along her face and down the rest of her body, inspecting her. Did he think something happened to her?

"Yeah, it's called ugly," Gajeel said. Levy hit him with the back of her hand.

"Your face is fine, Natsu," Levy assured.

"I know it is." Natsu placed his hands beneath his chin playfully.

"I hate all of you," Gray said.

"I see you're as cheerful as ever, Gray," Natsu said.

"Where is she?" Erza had moved without anyone's notice. The teacup sat abandoned on the side table. She stood beside Gajeel with arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not sure," Natsu said. When Erza moved to lunge at his throat, he held a hand up. "She could be in two places."

"Zeref doesn't know?" Lucy asked. How could he not know? Didn't he take her himself?

"Someone took her from him. He says they want to use her for something," Natsu said. Erza's face paled.

"Where is she, Natsu?" Lucy asked. At the sound of her voice, Natsu's shoulders loosened. He spoke directly to her.

"Either she is somewhere on Gaia or Pandemonia," Natsu said. Erza laughed. The sound started slow and worked up to a full howl. She turned and sat down on the couch.

"Pandemonia?" Lucy had never heard of the place. "Where is that?" Natsu gave her a sympathetic frown.

"It's another dimension," Natsu said.

"Don't play coy now, Natsu Dragneel. Tell her what kind of dimension she's in." Erza's voice was like fire in her throat. Lucy stared up at Natsu, imploring him forward.

"It's a hell dimension," he said.

"Excuse me?" Lucy didn't hear him right.

"Pandemonia is a hell dimension!" Erza spat the words at Natsu. He stood grounded and focused on Lucy's face. "Lava, fire, dead earth, and lots of dragons. The land is so desolate that only winged demons call it home, and they fight among each other." Lucy pictured Mavis in a place like that. What would winged demons do to a Valkyrie so far from power, from her family?

"How are we going to get to her?" Lucy asked.

"The question is how are you going to get back?" Levy held fast to Lucy's hands. There was genuine concern on her face. "You think you can travel there. Don't you, Natsu?" For once, Natsu had nothing to say.

"Have you been there before?" Erza asked. "Are you thinking to trace there? That's dangerous." A vampire could only trace to a place if they'd traveled there before.

"I'd have to walk dimensions to get to it. I haven't been there to trace."

"Haven't you walked dimensions before?" Lucy asked. She hated how hopeful her voice sounded. But at least there was a lead on Mavis, and there was no guarantee that she was in hell. He said she could be on Gaia.

"I have." Natsu squatted in front of Lucy so they were eye-to-eye, his hands at her knees. His presence was so close that she could feel his heat on her skin. What was he doing to her? She held back from reaching out for him. "But it's dangerous. If I go, I go alone." This again? The anxiety she felt when he went to Zeref was nothing compared to what she'd feel when he left for a hell dimension. She shook her head. She would prove that she could take care of herself. Not just for Natsu, or Erza, but for herself.

"If you go, I go with you."

"Lucy, I don't think—" Levy began.

"No one is changing my mind." Lucy pushed as much power into her voice as she could. Natsu sighed loud enough to get everyone's attention. It wasn't everyday one heard a vampire sigh. The sound reminded all and sundry that she blooded him, that she was his bride.

"Well, if you're up for it." Natsu shook his head, but a smirk pulled up the corners of his lips. She was up for it.

"Lucy, I can't have you—" Erza said.

"No, Erza. We need to split up. Someone has to look for her here on Gaia." Lucy took Natsu's hand when he offered to lift her to her feet. Levy allowed her hands to slip through her fingers.

"Did he say where on Gaia?" Erza asked. Natsu shook his head.

"But, there's one more thing." Natsu glanced up at Gajeel, who quirked a brow. "She's been taken to Dacia." Gajeel gave a sharp laugh through his nose.

"You're a riot, Salamander." Gajeel's smile faded when Natsu shook his head. He was serious.

"What's Dacia?" Lucy asked.

"You can't be serious," Erza said.

"That's some made up shit. You can't believe she's there," Gajeel added.

"Natsu, what is Dacia?" Lucy asked.

"Dacia is a vampiric dimension that moves within other dimensions. It's cloaked in mist, and no one is to leave once they've entered," Natsu said. While everyone continued to believe what he said was a lie, his appearance was grave.

"How can you find it then?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, Dacia is a fairy tale," Erza said. She pointed to Natsu—her voice sharper than before. "You better not be pulling us around to help Zeref."

"I'm telling the truth."

"Born vampires can't lie," Lucy said.

"Finally, someone remembers." Gajeel nodded in approval.

"You believe Zeref?" Erza asked.

"Yes." Natsu stood resolute. "If he could just trace to her, he wouldn't have tried to contact Ultear the Queen of Time to help him."

"Sorceri, huh?" Erza shook her head. "You lot are the worst."

"Look, you can find her and ask her." Natsu shrugged. "I'm the only one in this room who can travel dimensions. Unless anyone would like to try?" The room stilled.

"Yeah, let him go. He'll be torn to bits," Gray added from his spot in the living room.

"Lucy, you can't go," Erza said as if Gray's words were a reminder.

"Go find Ultear, Erza," Lucy said. "If he goes, I go."

"You're putting him over your family?"

"I'm trying to help you find our family!" Lucy's frustration hit the breaking point. Erza constantly questioned her resolve. "What was that in the basement about trusting me with your life? I want to help him help us! I want to make sure he doesn't just run off with her." Natsu opened his mouth to retort, but Lucy pressed her hand to his lips to stop him. "I don't need anything from you too."

"Then it's decided," Levy said. "I can tweak the summoning circle to grab Ultear."

"Can I go now?" Gray asked.

"No, we need you." Erza pointed to him. "Go to Jellal. If he wants to help Natsu, then he wants to help us. I need to speak with him. If he can help us in any way to find her, I need to know." Gray eyed Levy.

"Fine, I'll let you out." The witch stood in a huff.

"Then we best be going." Natsu grinned with cheer in his voice.

"You're awfully chipper," Lucy said.

"Bunny, he's just happy he's been offered a challenge," Gajeel said.

"Bunny?" Lucy said.

"Be careful, Lucy," Erza said. She nodded to her older sister with understanding. The voices in the living room came to a pitch as they all discussed their missing sister. Just as quickly all their voices ceased as she took Natsu's hand and traced to Pandemonia.

Or what she thought was Pandemonia. The air was thick with humidity. A flock of birds darted out from the immense number of trees that surrounded them. The sound of chirping bugs almost deafening. The whole place smelt of damp earth. They were still on Gaia.

"Where are we?" she asked. Natsu turned her to face him and placed both hands on her face. His lips pressed against hers. She took in a sharp breath with how right they felt. He released her and stepped back.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," he said. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in again. He groaned when she deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her to pull their hips together.

"That was for helping me," she said, "and keeping your word." His eyes had blown out in black. The sight of them just made her need rise.

"I like when your eyes do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Go all silver." A bird cawed in the distance, and a prehistoric looking bush rustled behind her. She grabbed his arms and kept him close in a start.

"I'll ask again. Where are we?" Lucy glanced around her feet for possible giant jungle bugs.

"The Amazon," he said.

"Why are we not in Pandemonia?" She took a step out of his grasp. Were Erza's accusations true? Was he pulling them around to help Zeref?

"There's a portal here." Natsu pointed up above the tree line. To an ancient structure shrouded in foliage.

"And where is there?"

"A place I came across the last time I went to a different hell dimension." He stepped forward and began to push through the brush toward it.

"What were you doing in a hell dimension before?" She followed behind him wishing she had brought a knife instead of her whip.

"I was looking for someone there," he said. Was he talking about his father? It clawed at her that he hadn't told her about him. She didn't know why. If she didn't trust him, why should he trust her?

"Must be someone important to go that far. How does dimension walking work anyway?" she asked. Natsu made a steady stream of fire with his hand to cleanly cut through the brush in front of him without starting an inferno.

"This teleporter travels down a ley line that is parallel to another. The one we need is the other one."

"So, we're just going to walk from one to the other?"

"Kind of." She had no idea what he was talking about, but she surmised it wouldn't be as simple as that. The structure loomed into view. The dark stone covered in lengthy vines. There was a clearing around the monument where trees didn't dare to grow. The sight of it had her instincts on high alert. They shouldn't be here.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Natsu turned with his back to the entrance— opened wide to lure them in. Was she ready for this? Her reply silenced by the sound of the earth opening beneath their feet.

"Lucy!" Natsu grabbed her to him and held her as their bodies plummeted into darkness. She guessed her reply didn't matter, as she was in this adventure, whether she liked it or not.


End file.
